diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/64566-h/64566-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/64566-h/64566-h.htm | 11467 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 11467 deletions
diff --git a/old/64566-h/64566-h.htm b/old/64566-h/64566-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 500ce36..0000000 --- a/old/64566-h/64566-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11467 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Safety First Club and the Flood, by W. T. Nichols. - </title> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.pminus1 {margin-top: -0.25em;} -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} - -/*Modified horizontal rules to fix ePub display issue*/ -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -/*End modified horizontal rule CSS*/ - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -/*Table of Contents format*/ -table.toc { max-width: 30em;} -td.tocchapter{ text-align: right; vertical-align: top; padding-right: 1em;} -td.toctitle { text-align: left; vertical-align: top; text-indent: -1.3em; padding-left: 1.3em;} -td.tocpage { text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; padding-left: 1em;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - -.displayinline{display:inline-block; line-height:1} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -/*CSS to set font sizes*/ -/*font sizes for non-header font changes*/ -.xxlargefont{font-size: xx-large} -.xlargefont{font-size: x-large} -.largefont{font-size: large} -.smallfont{font-size: small} -.cheaderfont{font-size:medium} - -/*CSS to force a page break in ePub*/ -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} - -.nobreak{ - page-break-before: avoid; - padding-top: 0; -} - -/*CSS markup for handhelds -- put at end of CSS*/ -@media handheld -{ - img {max-width: 100%; height: auto;} /*Limit width to display*/ -} -/*End CSS for handhelds*/ - - </style> - </head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Safety First Club and the Flood, by W. T. Nichols</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Safety First Club and the Flood</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: W. T. Nichols</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: F. A. Anderson</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: February 18, 2021 [eBook #64566]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Demian Katz, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University (http://digital.library.villanova.edu/))</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SAFETY FIRST CLUB AND THE FLOOD ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="398" height="650" alt="[Illustration]" /> -</div> - -<div style="padding-top:2em"> -<div id="Ref_Frontispiece" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i002.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center"><a href="#BRef_Frontispiece">HIS NEW COMRADE WAS RACING ACROSS THE FIELDS</a></p></div> -</div></div> - -<hr class="tb x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h1 class="nobreak"><span class="xlargefont">THE</span><br /> -Safety First Club<br /> -<em>and</em> the Flood</h1> -</div> - -<p class="center xlargefont"><span class="largefont">BY</span><br /> -W. T. NICHOLS</p> - -<p class="center p2"><em>Author of</em> “<span class="smcap">The Safety First Club</span>”</p> - -<p class="center p2">Illustrated by<br /> -<span class="smcap">F. A. Anderson</span></p> - -<p class="center p2 xlargefont"><span style="word-spacing:0.5em">THE PENN PUBLISHING</span><br /> -COMPANY PHILADELPHIA<br /> -1917</p> - - -<hr class="tb x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="largefont center">COPYRIGHT<br /> -1917 BY<br /> -THE PENN<br /> -PUBLISHING<br /> -COMPANY</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i004.jpg" alt="Publisher logo." /> -</div> - -<p class="center p2">The Safety First Club and the Flood.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[3]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">Introduction</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The one school which never needs a truant -officer is the School of Experience. Whether -we like it or not, we have to go to this school, -all of us; but whether we shall profit by its -lessons or waste the instruction is wholly a -matter of our own choice. In this story Sam -Parker and his friends, some of whose experiences -have been earlier set forth in the first -volume of this series, “The Safety First Club,” -take a new course, so to speak, with resultant -profit to themselves. “The Safety First Club -and the Flood” finds this group of boys, and -especially its leader, Sam, worried, beset and -tried by problems new to them, perplexing, -baffling; not very grave problems, at first -glance, but serious enough in the eyes of the -boys and not unimportant in their consequences—a -phase of life, in short, which has -very direct concern to young or old.</p> - -<p>Sam learns his lesson; his mates learn -theirs. Incidentally, they undergo trials of<span class="pagenum">[4]</span> -the flesh and of the spirit, and are the better -for both. They meet adventure which, it is -hoped, will be found to the taste of the friends -the chums have made and may make through -this volume and those which are to follow it.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[5]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">Contents</h2> -</div> - -<div class="center"> -<table class="toc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">I.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Club Confers</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">9</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">II.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Varley Gets Acquainted</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">24</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">III.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Uncomfortable Glory</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">39</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">IV.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Sam’s Counsellor</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">60</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">V.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Snow-Shoes</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">73</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">VI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">A Little Lunch</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">92</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">VII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Shark Lectures</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">105</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">VIII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Poke’s Mystery</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">117</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">IX.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Sam Gets a Reminder</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">133</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">X.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Blow Descends</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">148</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Great Mince Pie of Sugar Valley</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">163</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Exploring the Valley</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">185</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XIII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Shark Demonstrates</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">202</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XIV.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Hunt</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">220</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XV.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The House of Refuge</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">237</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XVI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Blind Trails</span></td> -<td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">256</a><span class="pagenum">[6]</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XVII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Rising Flood</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">272</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XVIII.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Through the Long Night</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">288</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XIX.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">What Befell Poke and Step</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">309</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XX.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">The Prize Snatched from the Flood</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">326</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tocchapter">XXI.</td><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Poke Out of Bondage</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">346</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[7]</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak">Illustrations</h2> -</div> - - -<div class="center"> -<table class="toc" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations"> -<tr><td class="toctitle"></td><td class="tocpage"><span class="smallfont">PAGE</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">His New Comrade was Racing Across the Fields</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Ref_Frontispiece"><em>Frontispiece</em></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle">“<span class="smcap">Grin and Bear It</span>”</td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Ref_70">70</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle">“<span class="smcap">You Can’t Raise the Money</span>”</td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Ref_160">160</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle"><span class="smcap">Another of His Precious Matches</span></td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Ref_248">248</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="toctitle">“<span class="smcap">We’ll Have to Drift Ashore Somewhere</span>”</td><td class="tocpage"><a href="#Ref_320">320</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[9]</span></p> - -<p class="center xxlargefont nobreak" style="margin-bottom:1em" id="CHAPTER_I">The Safety First Club<br /> -and the Flood</p> - - - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE CLUB CONFERS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>It was not a cheerful afternoon. Overhead -were heavy, gray clouds, and underfoot was -snow, long fallen, crusted by alternate thawing -and freezing, dingy with the queer winter -dust, which comes from nobody knows exactly -where. In the beaten track of the roadways -was an icy surface, made still more slippery -by a thin coating, at once grimy and greasy, -offering easy traction for the sledges, piled -high with wood, which now and then came -crunching along the streets. But it was full -of peril to the motor cars, a few of which were -abroad, skidding wildly at corners in spite -of chained tires and careful driving. Out in<span class="pagenum">[10]</span> -the fields the snow was perhaps a foot deep. -Where paths had been shoveled the long -mounds beside the walks rose almost to the -waist of a man of average height. Altogether, -it was a typical February scene in Plainville, -a town well to the north, accustomed to hard -winters and making the best of one of them, -scarcely enjoying the experience but accepting -it as inevitable.</p> - -<p>Sam Parker, muffled to the chin, mittened -and rubber-shod, appeared to be imitating -the example set by the town. He trudged -along, whistling bravely if not blithely; and -quickened tune and pace a trifle when he -came in sight of a little building in the lee of -a big house. Turning in at the gate, he -hurried up the path to the smaller building; -rapped thrice upon the door—there was hint -in the performance of hasty observance of a -customary rite; and, without awaiting a response, -opened the door and strode in.</p> - -<p>It was a curious room he entered, low-ceiled, -rough of wall and floor, furnished with the -most miscellaneous collection imaginable of -discarded chairs, tables and lounges from half -a dozen homes. There were rugs which<span class="pagenum">[11]</span> -showed signs of long and hard wear; there -were old pictures in frames still bearing the -dust they had gathered in years of retirement -in garrets and storerooms. Other pictures, -unframed and evidently cut from newspapers -and magazines, were tacked here and there on -the walls. Nevertheless, in spite of the confusion -and disorder the place had a certain -attractiveness and an air of easy-going comfort, -with a suggestion that here one might -do as one pleased. A visitor, skilled in such -matters, might have more than suspected that -once upon a time this had been a stable, but -now anybody who could read must quickly -grasp its present uses; for boldly chalked on -an old blackboard was inscribed in capital -letters</p> - -<p class="center">“<span class="smcap">The Safety First Club.</span>” -</p> - -<p>Sam pulled off his cap and overcoat, and -tossed them into a corner. His overshoes -followed them. Then, being relieved of his -out-of-door toggery, he crossed to the stove, -and stood beside it, rubbing his hands in -the grateful warmth. A plump youth moved -aside to give him a place by the fire; and a<span class="pagenum">[12]</span> -boy, tall and thin and quaintly sharp-angled -of knee and elbow, hailed him from the depths -of a dilapidated steamer-chair.</p> - -<p>“Huh, Sam! Know anything?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing new, Step,” Sam answered.</p> - -<p>The boy in the low chair grunted dismally. -“Ugh! Confound it, there never is—this -time of year, anyway!”</p> - -<p>Sam did not attempt to debate the point. -For a moment he regarded Step thoughtfully—“Step,” -it may be explained, was a contraction -of “Stepladder,” a nickname bestowed by -his mates upon Clarence Jones because of a -degree of resemblance in his physical make-up -to that useful article of household equipment. -Then Sam’s glance went to the plump boy, -Arthur Green in official records, but “Poke” -to those honored with his intimate acquaintance. -One could poke a finger almost anywhere -into the well-rounded Arthur; hence -the sobriquet.</p> - -<p>“Poke” Green appeared to be meditating. -His lips were pursed, and there was a line in -his forehead. He loved his bit of philosophy, -did Poke; but it took time for him to put his -meditations into words.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[13]</span></p> - -<p>Sam’s gaze traveled to a group about a table, -on which were scattered magazines and a -number of well-thumbed books. Two of the -boys nodded. They were Herman Boyd -and Harry Walker, more often called the -“Trojan”; and they were good fellows and -tried and true members of the Safety First -Club. So, for that matter, was a bespectacled -youngster, who from his place at the Trojan’s -elbow was regarding Sam with a peculiar air -of solemnity. Sam, meeting his eye, gave -him greeting.</p> - -<p>“Hullo, Shark! What are you trying to -figure out now?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” said the other curtly.</p> - -<p>“Then you’re wasting time, you old wizard!” -quoth Sam.</p> - -<p>The Shark made no reply. Doubtless, it -seemed to him that none was needed. So he -merely continued to peer through his spectacles -at the newcomer, with a characteristic -intentness which was all his own.</p> - -<p>Willy Reynolds, indeed, was often referred -to as an “odd stick.” He had a mind of -marked mathematical bent, and had proved -himself so proficient in algebra, geometry and<span class="pagenum">[14]</span> -trigonometry as to puzzle and amaze his comrades, -toiling along paths of learning which -appeared to offer him only entertainment. So -they dubbed him the “Shark,” because he -always seemed hungry for mathematics.</p> - -<p>The door opened, and in came a thick-set, -sturdily built chap.</p> - -<p>“Hi there, Orkney! Glad to see you!” -Sam sang out. It might have been noted, -too, that the others gave the latest arrival a -welcome, each in his own way, even the -Shark thawing temporarily. One acquainted -with boys and their ways would have understood -that there was some reason why -they wished Orkney to feel himself among -friends.</p> - -<p>The thick-set lad answered each in turn, his -face lighting as he spoke. It was clear that -he appreciated his reception, as well he might. -Time had been—and not very long before—when -Tom Orkney and the Safety First Club -had been at swords’ points, and when each had -woefully misjudged the other. A chapter of -accidents had served first to increase the bitterness -on both sides, and then to remove it by -revealing how thoroughly it was due to mistakes<span class="pagenum">[15]</span> -and misunderstandings. And in the -end, helped on by sharing common adventures -and dangers, had come reconciliation and -respect. In proof of its new and genuine -regard the club had admitted Tom to its -jealously guarded circle of membership.</p> - -<p>They were, it may be said, a good lot of -boys; healthy youngsters in their teens—the -Shark was the youngest and physically the -weakest; well intentioned but not wise beyond -their years; fond of fun and activity and no -prophets of possible consequences of their -escapades. But, as the title of their club -indicated, they were learning their lesson in -the school of experience. The wisdom of a -policy of “Safety First” was impressed upon -them, though as yet they were not too skilled -in the application of the rule.</p> - -<p>While Tom Orkney was settling himself by -the table, Step Jones again raised his voice in -lamentation.</p> - -<p>“I tell you, fellows, this is the meanest, -logiest, slowest, stupidest time of all the year. -There’s nothing to do. The snow spoils the -skating, and more than half the time the -snow-shoeing and skiing are no good. Sleighing’s<span class="pagenum">[16]</span> -a bore, and coasting’s no use except -for kids. And where does that leave you? -Ugh!”</p> - -<p>Nobody answered Step’s question. There -was a long silence, broken by that youth -himself.</p> - -<p>“Worst winter I ever saw—yah!”</p> - -<p>Sam Parker shook his head doubtfully. -“Oh, I don’t know about that, Step. Seems -to me this is a good deal like all the rest of -’em.”</p> - -<p>“And if you want something to keep you -busy, there’s always school,” put in the Trojan -with a chuckle.</p> - -<p>“School? Oh, thunder!” snapped Step -with scorn.</p> - -<p>Poke Green waved a hand, an oratorical -hand; thereby signifying that he had reached -a readiness to address the meeting.</p> - -<p>“Listen, you fellows! You don’t know -what you’re talking about, because you start -in and say things first and think about ’em -afterward. So you get ’em about half right -and half wrong.”</p> - -<p>“Go it, old Solomon!” Herman Boyd encouraged.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[17]</span></p> - -<p>Poke needed no spur. “Here’s Step calling -this the worst winter that ever was, which it -isn’t. And here’s Sam trying to make out -that it’s just like any other winter, which it -isn’t, either. If this climate ever got as monotonous -as all that, it’d go out of business. -There have been better winters that I can remember, -and there have been worse. The -trouble with all of them is that there is too -much of a muchness about them.”</p> - -<p>Then the Shark spoke crisply: “Applying -that to school, too?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Poke solemnly. “This term’s -the long pull—no holidays to break it—no -Thanksgiving—not even Washington’s birthday.”</p> - -<p>“They have it in lots of places,” the Trojan -put in.</p> - -<p>“Well, we don’t—and I’m talking about us. -So right through to the Easter recess we have -to pound away, and it gets tiresome, I tell -you. And what’s true of school is true of the -weather. Winter’d be all right if it ended -along in January. Everybody’d feel braced -up and ready for spring. But does it happen -that way? No, sir! Winter keeps on doing<span class="pagenum">[18]</span> -business along into March or April—yes, or -into May.”</p> - -<p>“Our furnace was going last June,” Herman -Boyd contributed.</p> - -<p>Sam’s expression was thoughtful. “Well, -Poke,” he said, “I follow your argument—if -it is an argument. But what does it lead -to?”</p> - -<p>“To my conclusion,” quoth Poke with all -possible gravity.</p> - -<p>“What is it?”</p> - -<p>Poke ran his glance over his club-mates; all -were attentive.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” he repeated. “Can’t you -see for yourselves that it can be only one -thing? The trouble with us is that we need -variety!”</p> - -<p>“But you said the weather was varied,” -objected Sam.</p> - -<p>“But it’s winter weather all the time, just -as school’s school, no matter whether you’re -reciting Greek or trigonometry. Then there’s -another point. In summer people are coming -and going, and making visits; in winter -everybody’s shut up more or less. We don’t -get enough human variety.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[19]</span></p> - -<p>Sam rubbed his chin. “Why—why, I -don’t know but there’s something in your -notion, after all,” he admitted.</p> - -<p>“There’s a lot!” Poke insisted triumphantly.</p> - -<p>It was not often that the Shark laughed; -but he laughed now in a fashion which made -his friends turn to him in surprise.</p> - -<p>“Ha, ha! You chaps seem to forget that -we have with us in this town one Paul Varley. -If he isn’t a queer variety of human, I’ll -square the circle for you—and that’s something -nobody has done yet.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Varley!”</p> - -<p>“What! That dude?”</p> - -<p>“What have we got to do with him?”</p> - -<p>“Say! Isn’t he the limit?”</p> - -<p>The Shark listened calmly to these remarks -of his friends.</p> - -<p>“Well, I said he represented variety, and I -stick to it,” quoth he drily.</p> - -<p>Sam turned to Poke. “Do you mean that -we ought to take in Varley?” he demanded -a bit hotly.</p> - -<p>There was a murmur of dissent. Membership -in the Safety First Club was not lightly<span class="pagenum">[20]</span> -granted, and Paul Varley was not high in -favor.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t mean anything of the sort,” said -the Shark. “But if anybody wants entertainment -in this town this winter—why, there’s -Varley to look at.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; and listen to,” Herman Boyd chimed -in.</p> - -<p>“Huh! You talk as if you really knew -him,” Step commented.</p> - -<p>“I do—after a fashion. But Orkney knows -him better.”</p> - -<p>Tom Orkney shook his head. “Guess I’ll -refer you to Sam; he knows him best of all.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Varley’s a——” Sam began impatiently, -but quickly checked himself. “I -dare say he’s a very good fellow,” he added -after a little pause.</p> - -<p>“Hang it, Sam, finish what you started to -tell us!” cried Step.</p> - -<p>Sam hesitated. Among the lessons he had -been learning was that Safety First might be -as advisable in speech as in action. Besides, -he wished to be fair. It might not happen -that any of the club would have a great deal -to do with Varley, but he was well aware that<span class="pagenum">[21]</span> -a few careless words might prejudice all of -them against the newcomer.</p> - -<p>“Why—why, I’ve talked hardly half an -hour with him altogether. He seemed to be -good-natured.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t he ride his high horse for you?”</p> - -<p>“Not much—very little,” said Sam. “Of -course, he comes from a big city. And he’s -been at big ‘prep’ schools. And he’s used to -the rush, and crowds, and all that sort of -thing. I don’t know, though, that he tried -to rub it in—that we aren’t crowded here, I -mean. And he did seem friendly—got to say -that for him.”</p> - -<p>“Up here for his health, isn’t he?” queried -Step. “Gay life knocked him out, didn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t put it that way. He said he -was rather run down, and so his folks shipped -him up here to visit the Bateses—Mrs. Bates -is his aunt, you know.”</p> - -<p>“How long is he going to stay?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe it’s settled.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! He’s rigged out as if he were on a -polar expedition.”</p> - -<p>Sam’s lips twitched. “Well, he is outfitted -pretty gorgeously.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[22]</span></p> - -<p>“I should say he was!”</p> - -<p>“That’s nothing against him, though.”</p> - -<p>Poke wagged his head sagely. “No; fine -feathers don’t make fine birds, or spoil ’em -either. When you take time and think about -it——”</p> - -<p>“You wait your turn, Poke,” Step objected. -“Let Sam finish.”</p> - -<p>“I’m through,” said Sam.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess we’re all through with Varley -before we really begin with him,” quoth Step. -“We’ve got our crowd. I don’t see how he -can make much difference to us. We’re all -of us right here now, and——”</p> - -<p>Herman Boyd, who had been looking out -of the window, whistled sharply, sprang to -his feet, peered through the pane, then retreated -swiftly.</p> - -<p>“Whew! Talk about angels or people!” -he exclaimed. “Great Scott! but he must be -coming here. I saw him turn in at the gate -and——”</p> - -<p>“Who turned in?”</p> - -<p>“What are you driving at?”</p> - -<p>“Who’s coming?”</p> - -<p>They rained questions upon him; but Herman<span class="pagenum">[23]</span> -had no need to answer. Indeed, before -he could do so, a hand was laid on the knob, -and with no preliminary knock the door was -swung. And there in the opening stood Paul -Varley, quite at his ease and with a complacent -smile on his face.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[24]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">VARLEY GETS ACQUAINTED</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There were seconds in which amazement -held the members of the Safety First Club -speechless and almost motionless.</p> - -<p>This open invasion of the privacy of the -club was something wholly outside their experience. -A boy who didn’t belong might -call there, of course, if he wished to see one -of the members; but he would be expected to -halt outside and hail the club with a shout, -or, at the most, to knock at the door and -pause outside. And he would be quite as -anxious to observe this code as the members -would be anxious that he should observe it. -A fellow didn’t care to enter where he was not -wanted, and if he had been wanted, he would -have been elected to membership. That was -the way the matter was reasoned out. The -conclusion was accepted by everybody in interest. -So for one of the town boys to walk -up to the door, and throw it open, and look<span class="pagenum">[25]</span> -in at the assembled coterie, and do these -things calmly and unconcernedly—well, none -of the town boys would have thus conducted -himself. But there was Paul Varley doing -these things quite as a matter of course, thus -proving himself not of the town and at the -same time bringing embarrassment to the club.</p> - -<p>Varley stepped into the room. “Hullo, -everybody!” he said cheerily. “Thought I’d -drop in for a minute—I’ve heard a lot about -this joint of yours, you know.”</p> - -<p>There was no response; surprise still held -the members of the club.</p> - -<p>Varley smiled genially. He was perhaps a -year older than any of the Safety First boys, -and a great deal more practised in some of the -ways of the world. He ran his eye over the -room, and spoke again:</p> - -<p>“Pretty nifty—what! Snug as a bug in a -rug, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p>Oddly enough, it was the usually reticent -Shark who first found tongue.</p> - -<p>“We like it.” He threw an emphasis on -the “we,” to which Varley might have taken -exception, had he been disposed to be critical. -But the caller was not looking for trouble.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[26]</span></p> - -<p>“I should think you would,” he said -smoothly. “Fixed it up yourselves, didn’t -you? Thought so. More fun to do it.”</p> - -<p>It did not seem to occur to the Shark that -it was his business to make reply, and nobody -else volunteered. Varley took off his cap. -It was a handsome cap of fur. He unbuttoned -his overcoat; it was fur-lined. In fact, -from head to heels he was outfitted for very -cold weather, as if his garments had been -selected for wear in semi-Arctic regions. -Plainly enough, somebody had told him -wonderful tales of winter temperatures “up -country.”</p> - -<p>The evidences that Varley intended to -make a stay of some length stirred Sam to -his duties as unofficial head of the club. -Somehow, the rôle of spokesman seemed to -fall to him, in times of emergency, by a sort -of common consent.</p> - -<p>“Er—er—why, how do you do?” he -stammered. “Won’t you take a seat?”</p> - -<p>Varley shook his head. He was still smiling -in his friendly fashion.</p> - -<p>“Why, no; I’d rather look about a bit, if I -might,” said he. “I’d heard so much, one<span class="pagenum">[27]</span> -way or another, about this den of yours, that -I made up my mind I’d make a call. -Thought, too, I’d find you all in about this -time of day. Say, you’ve got a cracking good -hang-out! Said you fixed it yourselves, didn’t -you?”</p> - -<p>Then up spoke the Shark, testily: “Nobody -said that.”</p> - -<p>“But it’s the fact, all the same,” Sam -hastened to remark. “Yes; what’s here we -did, or made, or whatever you choose to -call it.”</p> - -<p>“Smooth work, too,” said Varley quickly. -“Garage once, wasn’t it?”</p> - -<p>Inasmuch as the club-house was the property -of Step’s father, Step felt called upon to make -reply.</p> - -<p>“No—stable.”</p> - -<p>Varley turned to the tall youth. “Whatever -it began with being, it’s all right now. -And it’s a bully good scheme you fellows -have. Great place to loaf, this is!”</p> - -<p>Now this was said affably enough, and -with no trace of the condescending note for -which the boys were listening keenly. A -chap—an older chap—from a big city might<span class="pagenum">[28]</span> -be disposed to be patronizing; and the Safety -First Club did not care to be patronized. But -no fault was to be found with Varley’s -manner. Sam felt moved to explain the plan -the crowd had followed.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we got together what we could,” -said he. “Each one contributed. Somebody -brought an old sofa, and somebody else a table -his folks weren’t using any more, and so it -went on. And if anybody had a picture he -liked, he hung or tacked it up. That’s the -way it went, and—er—er—that’s about the -whole story.”</p> - -<p>Varley nodded, and crossed the room to -examine an old engraving. From this he -went to inspection of a very modern cartoon -from a newspaper.</p> - -<p>“Liberty hall—I get the idea,” quoth he. -“And I like it. Gives variety. By the way, -it’s like the plan they have in some of the big -clubs. Members contribute odds and ends—curios—they -pick up. It’ll make quite a -museum after a while.”</p> - -<p>“Or quite a junk shop!” interposed the -Shark. He was staring hard at the visitor -through his spectacles, and his expression was<span class="pagenum">[29]</span> -dubious, if not hostile. The other boys moved -uneasily. They had begun to recover from -the surprise of the visit, and to understand -that Varley felt himself on a purely friendly -errand. Therefore there should be allowance -for his ignorance of the local code, and avoidance -of controversy. The Shark’s speech embarrassed -them, but not Varley. He laughed, -lightly and good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>“You’re on the mark, at that. Museums -and junk shops are a lot alike; but that -doesn’t prevent ’em from being interesting. -Why, I went into a queer old shop one day, -and there was an old machine, with all sorts -of rings and pivots, and hung on ’em was a—a—well, -it looked like an oblong sphere -and——”</p> - -<p>“What!” shouted the Shark.</p> - -<p>Varley glanced at him questioningly. “I -beg your pardon?” he said with a touch of -formality.</p> - -<p>The Shark drew a long breath. “An -oblong sphere!” he repeated slowly. “Jee-whippiter!”</p> - -<p>Again it was Sam’s duty to explain. -“Don’t let the Shark bother you. He means<span class="pagenum">[30]</span> -well, but he’s a bug on mathematics—and -cones, and circles, and cubes, and spheres, and—er—er—and -all that sort of thing. But -he’s harmless.”</p> - -<p>Once more Varley’s laugh saved the situation. -“I understand. And he’s right, at that. -What I meant was, that the thing was egg-shaped—almost, -but not quite. And that -little difference in shape, the inventor figured, -was just what would make it a perpetual -motion machine, that would keep going forever, -once you started it. Of course, it didn’t -work. But I say!”—he was looking straight -at the Shark—“I say! If you’re up in the -‘math’ I envy you. It’s my stumbling-block—gets -me every time.”</p> - -<p>“Umph!” said the Shark non-committally. -In his experience the world was strangely -crowded with beings woefully deficient in the -mathematical sense. He was learning to -make allowances for their shortcomings. The -visitor, by frank confession of incapacity, won -a degree of toleration, if not of approval.</p> - -<p>“Yes; it gets me every time,” Varley went -on. “I’ve had half a notion to see if I -couldn’t go into the senior class at your high<span class="pagenum">[31]</span> -school, just to brush up on the mathematical -review—maybe I shall yet. But first I want -to get better acquainted with the town and -the people. That’s why I dropped in on your -crowd. And now that I’ve said ‘Howdy,’ -I’ll move along.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t be in a hurry,” said Sam politely.</p> - -<p>For the first time the blackboard, with its -boldly chalked inscription, caught Varley’s -eye.</p> - -<p>“Hullo! What’s that? Safety First Club? -Say, that’s a funny name for a lot of boys to -pick out!”</p> - -<p>“Well, it pleases us,” said Sam, a little -curtly.</p> - -<p>Varley’s ready smile was in evidence. “So -I supposed, or you wouldn’t have chosen it. -But it’s an odd name, all the same.”</p> - -<p>Sam hesitated an instant. “It—well, maybe -it is odd. But some things happened to impress -us with the need of looking before we -leaped. So we agreed on the name. Then -other things happened to impress us some -more, and we kept it.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Varley; but then he repeated, -“Safety First Club, Safety First?” as if he<span class="pagenum">[32]</span> -were still puzzled. “Somehow, that seems to -bar a lot of fun.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we manage to get along.”</p> - -<p>“Where do you draw the line between -what’s safe and what isn’t?”</p> - -<p>Again Sam hesitated. “Why—why, I guess -there isn’t any general rule. You have to -settle each case as it comes.”</p> - -<p>“But what’s the rule for settling it?”</p> - -<p>The Shark came to Sam’s assistance. “Law -of chances,” he said curtly.</p> - -<p>“Meaning——?”</p> - -<p>“Can you get away with it? Can’t dodge -all risks, can you? But when you have to -take one, isn’t there a safer way than the first -way you think of? Just stop and figure. It -pays!”</p> - -<p>Varley shook his head. “That’s all right -for mathematical sharps,” he said laughingly; -“but I’m not in that class. The tree would -fall on me, or I’d drown, or the bull would -toss me over the fence, long before I could -cipher out what the chances were.”</p> - -<p>“Pays, all the same, to try,” the Shark -insisted.</p> - -<p>Varley glanced a little inquiringly at Sam.<span class="pagenum">[33]</span> -As has been explained, he was older than the -club’s members, and more versed in the ways -of the world; and now he had an intuition -that the boys, while satisfied with their club’s -title, were not eager to discuss it with a comparative -stranger. He looked at Sam, but -Sam said nothing.</p> - -<p>The visitor buttoned his overcoat. “Guess -I’ll be running along,” he remarked. “Mighty -glad to have had a look at your den.”</p> - -<p>“We’re glad you like it,” said Sam, reminded -of his manners.</p> - -<p>Varley moved toward the door. He was -quite aware that nobody had asked him to -call again, and for the first time since his -arrival began to feel a trifle of embarrassment.</p> - -<p>“Fine place—bully!” he said. “I—er—er—I -don’t suppose anybody is going my way?”</p> - -<p>Now, there was something in the other’s -manner which brought a sudden change in -the plans of Sam Parker. Maybe his instinct -of hospitality stirred; he might at least escort -this unbidden guest whom he had failed to -welcome warmly.</p> - -<p>“Guess I’ll trot along, too.” He caught up -his cap and overcoat, put them on, and<span class="pagenum">[34]</span> -slipped into his overshoes. “Ready, when -you are,” he added.</p> - -<p>Varley said, “Well, so long, you fellows!” -and said it jauntily; but he was silent while -he walked away from the club-house with Sam. -The latter also seemed to be tongue-tied. -Indeed, the pause threatened to become awkward -for both of them, when Varley, with an -effort, ended it.</p> - -<p>“Great winters you have up here!” he said -jerkily. “Must be no end of sport, when you -get the hang of things. Can’t say I’ve quite -done that yet.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll get it quickly enough,” Sam assured -him.</p> - -<p>“Hope so,” said Varley. “I’d like——” -he broke off abruptly. “Hear that? What’s -happening up the street?”</p> - -<p>Sam didn’t answer. Indeed, he had no -need to do so. Like Varley, he had heard -the sharp “honk, honk!” of an automobile -horn rising above the jingle of sleigh-bells, and -then a woman’s shriek of alarm, and the quick -beat of hoofs on the icy roadway. A horse, -drawing a light cutter, had taken fright at a -passing motor car, had got out of control of<span class="pagenum">[35]</span> -the woman who held the reins, and was making -a frantic bolt. Turning, the boys had a -glimpse of a wiry bay, neck outstretched, ears -back, red nostrils distended; of a sleigh swaying -wildly; of a woman tugging vainly at the -reins.</p> - -<p>“Runaway!” gasped Varley. Then he did -the instinctive thing, and the plucky thing. -The horse was very near, and coming fast. -Varley sprang into the street. Promptly as -he acted, though, there was a second in which -his eyes were on Sam; and in that instant he -had a queer impression that his companion -was about to do as he was doing. But Sam -suddenly appeared to change his plan, for he -wheeled, and ran down the street, approaching -the track of the runaway, not directly but -on a long diagonal.</p> - -<p>There flashed on Varley an ugly doubt of -Sam’s courage. Then for a little he forgot -everything but the galloping horse, and the -part he meant to play in stopping the maddened -animal. He leaped over the piled up -snow lining the sidewalk, and gave a great -bound for the horse’s head. He was not reckoning -risk, or chances—or conditions, for that<span class="pagenum">[36]</span> -matter. It had not occurred to him that just -at this point the frozen road, with its thin, -greasy coating was extraordinarily slippery -and treacherous under foot. He hardly realized -what was happening, when, as he was -about to grasp the bridle, his feet shot from -under him. The shoulder of the runaway -struck him. Luckily, it was only a glancing -blow, but it sent him reeling back, out of -danger of contact with plunging hoofs or -lunging sleigh. Down he went in a heap, -sorely shaken and with the breath half driven -from his body; and there he lay, recovering -his wits and his wind, while he watched Sam, -twenty yards away, score success where he had -failed.</p> - -<p>Sam sprang much as Varley had sprung; -but he caught the reins close to the bit, and -was not shaken off. Not that he was able to -check the runaway’s career at once—as a matter -of fact, he was dragged a considerable distance. -He forced the horse, though, out of -the beaten track and into the deeper snow, -and little by little he reduced the speed. The -animal struggled hard, but Sam kept his hold. -Two or three men came running up; and in a<span class="pagenum">[37]</span> -moment more the horse was at a standstill, -trembling like a leaf, but again under control; -his driver had been assisted from the sleigh, -and was thanking Sam so warmly for his -timely help that the boy, blushing hotly, was -glad to beat a retreat and return to Varley, -who by this time had picked himself up, and -was brushing the snow from his overcoat.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott! but that was a star job of -yours!” was his greeting.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it was just luck,” Sam answered -modestly.</p> - -<p>“Luck?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; luck to find better footing than you -had.”</p> - -<p>Varley gave a queer little groan. “Thunder! -I didn’t think about that.”</p> - -<p>“Well, right here’s one of the smoothest -places you can find anywhere; you need -spiked shoes to stand on it. Farther on, -though, it is rougher—rough enough to give -you half a show, anyway. I saw how it was -and ran along a bit. If you’d thought to do -that, you’d have been all right. You made -just as good a try as I did.”</p> - -<p>Varley glanced at the other keenly. “Look<span class="pagenum">[38]</span> -here! First off, you were starting straight out -just as I did. Then you stopped, and changed -your scheme. You had the real hunch. I -was stood on my head, and you got away with -things. And all the difference was, you took -time to think.”</p> - -<p>“I tried to,” said Sam quietly.</p> - -<p>“It was a clever plan. But I say!” Varley -paused an instant, his expression half admiring, -half uncertain. “Come now! You talk -about belonging to a Safety First Club, yet -you pile in in a case like this——”</p> - -<p>Sam interrupted him. “Our kind of Safety -First doesn’t mean wrapping yourself up in -cotton wool and stowing yourself away on a -shelf. It doesn’t mean dodging all risks—you’ve -got to take some. But it does mean -finding the best way to take them, if they -seem to be necessary, and cutting them out, if -they’re not necessary. That’s all there is to it.”</p> - -<p>Varley finished his task of brushing the -snow from his coat. He straightened himself, -and looked at Sam.</p> - -<p>“Somehow or other, Parker, it strikes me -there’s a lot to be said for that notion of -yours,” he remarked with conviction.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[39]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">UNCOMFORTABLE GLORY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Sam Parker was disposed to think little -and say less of the incident of the runaway -horse. He had come out of the affair with -some credit and a slightly sprained wrist, but -he made no mention of either at home or at -the Safety First Club. At school a somewhat -vague report was circulated that there had -been a frightened horse and a very good -“stop”; but none of the pupils happened to -have been about at the time of Sam’s exploit, -and the story went the rounds without bringing -in his name. Sam was quite content with -this; and as he did not see Paul Varley for -several days, he regarded the episode as a -closed chapter.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile he was working hard at his -books. He stood well in his classes, though -he headed none of them; and he had an incentive -for study.</p> - -<p>Sam expected to spend the last year of his<span class="pagenum">[40]</span> -preparation for college at St. Mark’s, a famous -school for boys. He was to go there in the -autumn, after completing the third year of his -course at the town high school; and inasmuch -as his father’s consent to this arrangement had -not been easily won, he prized it all the more -highly. It had been granted, indeed, only -after a series of adventures had satisfied Mr. -Parker that his son was possessed of certain -valuable qualities of self-reliance and discretion. -Sam, reasonably, was greatly pleased -with the outcome, and his satisfaction was increased -by the fact that both Step and Poke -were to be sent to St. Mark’s with him, while -it was by no means impossible that one or two -others of the club might join the colony. He -looked forward eagerly to his year at the big -school, but with a sensible understanding that -good scholarship would be much to his advantage.</p> - -<p>Sam lacked the mathematical talent of the -Shark, just as he had no such peculiar knack -as Step showed in Greek. The tall youth -shone in translations from the tongue of -Xenophon and Homer in a manner which -was wholly inexplicable to his friends—as<span class="pagenum">[41]</span> -they frequently remarked with much feeling. -In Latin Step was a mediocre performer; his -French left much to be desired, but when it -came to Greek—“Why, he eats it alive!” -was Poke’s admiring declaration. Sam, being -without such special genius, found none of -his studies very easy—and, no doubt, profited -the more in mental drill because he had to -work for what he gained. His class rank was -good, if not distinguished; and he stood well -with the school principal and the other instructors, -who saw that he was an influential -fellow among his mates, including many who -were not of the charmed circle of the club.</p> - -<p>Trudging to school one morning—it was -several days after the affair of the runaway—Sam -fell in with Poke, who appeared to be -in a curious mood. Ordinarily, Poke was a -cheery soul, and good-natured, but this day -gloom was upon him. He answered Sam’s -hail with something very like a growl; and -when they fell into step, he groaned unmistakably -as response to the other’s remark that -it “wasn’t such a bad morning.”</p> - -<p>Sam looked at him wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“What’s the row?” he asked.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[42]</span></p> - -<p>Poke dug his hands deeper into his pockets, -and sank his chin in his coat-collar.</p> - -<p>“Oh, nothing!” He said it as dismally as -if everything had gone wrong.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you feel well?”</p> - -<p>“Well enough—that isn’t it.”</p> - -<p>“But what is, then?”</p> - -<p>Poke hesitated; he seemed to be struggling -between eagerness and reluctance.</p> - -<p>“I—I—well, something’s going to happen.”</p> - -<p>“What?” Sam demanded.</p> - -<p>“Just wish I knew!” cried Poke fervently.</p> - -<p>Sam took him by the shoulder, and shook -him vigorously.</p> - -<p>“Wake up, Poke! You’re dreaming.”</p> - -<p>Oddly enough, Poke caught at the suggestion.</p> - -<p>“It was a dream, all right, but it wasn’t a -common dream. I tell you, it was a—er—er—it -must have been a warning!”</p> - -<p>“What sort of warning?”</p> - -<p>Poke wagged his head heavily. “My! -but I wish to-day was safely over!” he said -ominously.</p> - -<p>Sam laughed. It was a skeptical laugh, -but it had a trace of uneasiness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[43]</span></p> - -<p>“Go on! You’re joking!”</p> - -<p>Poke heaved a tremendous sigh. “Well, I -guess you wouldn’t be talking about joking -if you’d had that dream yourself!”</p> - -<p>“What was it about?”</p> - -<p>“Everything—all mixed up! Course I -can’t remember it all—you never can. But -we were in it—all the fellows in the club -were. And the way it went—Geeminy! first -thing I knew I was sitting up in bed and -yelling like an Indian. And I couldn’t get -to sleep again, and the thing has been hanging -over me ever since. It won’t go away. -That’s why I feel in my bones that something -is going to happen, and why I wish -this day were over. Why, Sam, that was -the meanest dream, the scariest dream—the—the——”</p> - -<p>Poke broke off; for round a corner came -the Shark and Step Jones. And, of a sudden, -it had occurred to the seer of visions that the -Shark was the last person of his acquaintance -who was likely to show sympathy for such a -tale. But the newcomers had caught part of -his speech.</p> - -<p>“What you driving at, Poke?” Step inquired.<span class="pagenum">[44]</span> -“Talking about dreams, weren’t you? -Go ahead!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s nothing of any importance,” said -Poke hastily.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Seemed to be important enough -a minute ago,” Step remarked. “What was -the yarn, Sam?”</p> - -<p>Poke preferred to do his own explaining, if -explanation there had to be.</p> - -<p>“I was telling Sam a story—yes; a story -about a dream I had last night. And—well, -I was telling him, too, that it worried me. It -wasn’t a common dream—not by a long shot! -And—and if you’ve got to have the whole -thing, it is worrying me a lot! There’s -trouble brewing for somebody, a heap of -trouble.”</p> - -<p>Step regarded Poke with wide-opened eyes -and sagging jaw, but the Shark’s lip curled -scornfully.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” he jeered.</p> - -<p>“I tell you, it was a warning!” Poke insisted.</p> - -<p>“Warning of what?”</p> - -<p>“Why—why, I don’t know; that’s just the -trouble.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[45]</span></p> - -<p>The Shark was regarding the prophet of -evil very steadily. “Poke,” said he, “what did -you eat last night before you went to bed?”</p> - -<p>“Noth—that is, nothing to speak of.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s hear about it, all the same.”</p> - -<p>Poke wriggled, but the Shark’s eye held -him. “Well, I was sort of hungry, so I went -out to the pantry, and had a nibble.”</p> - -<p>“At what?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, anything I came across. But it was -just a bite.”</p> - -<p>“How many bites?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, a few, I suppose. It was only a -snack.”</p> - -<p>“Crackers?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Cake?”</p> - -<p>Poke reddened. “’Twa’n’t cake—it was a -piece of pie, if you’ve got to know. But I -don’t see——”</p> - -<p>The Shark gave a queer, barking laugh. -“Ho, ho! Pie, eh? Mince pie, I’ll bet you!”</p> - -<p>Poke tried to assume an air of offended -dignity. “Well, it was mince, if that’s any -comfort to you.”</p> - -<p>“Ate a whole pie, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[46]</span></p> - -<p>“No, sir!” shouted Poke indignantly. “It -had been cut.”</p> - -<p>The Shark turned to the other boys. “Oh, -come along!” said he. “Guess we’ve treed -the ghost that sat on the foot-rail of Poke’s bed -and made faces at him. We’ll be late at -school if we don’t wake up.”</p> - -<p>Sam and Step moved on with the Shark, -Poke following dejectedly.</p> - -<p>“All right—have it your own way!” he -called after them. “You don’t have to believe -anything’s going to happen, but you just -wait and see! I tell you, this day is going to -be a bad one for somebody!”</p> - -<p>It cannot be said that either Sam or Step -attached much more importance than did the -Shark to Poke’s forebodings; and the morning’s -work proceeded in a manner to remove -all traces of uneasiness. Things went well -for all the members of the club. None of -them was tardy. Lessons appeared to be well -learned, and teachers were in good humor. -Even Poke himself shone in recitation, though -he droned through his translations in mournful -fashion, and declined to be consoled by -approving words from the instructors.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[47]</span></p> - -<p>At the opening of the Junior class’s English -period the principal of the school entered the -room, and after a whispered word or two with -the teacher took the platform.</p> - -<p>“I have an announcement to make,” he -said. “I have chosen this time and place -because it deals with something more or less -directly connected with the work of this class -in English. And to go straight to the point, -the announcement deals with a very desirable -prize, to be awarded in a competition open to -all of you, and in which I hope many of you -will take part.”</p> - -<p>A rustle ran through the assembled class. -Everybody was interested, with the exception -of the despondent Poke, who merely slumped -a little lower in his seat.</p> - -<p>The principal cleared his throat, and went -on. A friend of the school, who was engaged -in local historical research, was ready to pay -one hundred dollars to the pupil who should -produce the best essay on the settlement and -early days of the town. Industry in the -collection of facts would be given quite as -much consideration as the style and finish of -the essays.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[48]</span></p> - -<p>“In short,” the principal added, “the conditions -will be such that all of you will find -this a fair field of rivalry. It is not the -intention to limit any contestant rigidly in -the matter of space; though I must warn you -that waste of words will count adversely. -You can have room for all the facts you -gather, but this means room for concise statement. -The contest will close on the first of -April, when the essays must be handed in; -and the winner will be announced as soon -thereafter as possible. A detailed statement -of the conditions of the competition will be -posted at once on the bulletin-board.”</p> - -<p>Then the principal walked out of the room, -and the class broke discipline for a little to -discuss this great news in eager whispers. A -hundred-dollar prize for a composition! That -was the way most of them put the matter. -And a hundred dollars seemed to be most -inviting. Besides, there was hardly a boy or -girl there who didn’t feel convinced that in -some old aunt or uncle, or, better yet, grandfather -or grandmother, was possible source of -just the information that would win the -competition. And style and finish were not<span class="pagenum">[49]</span> -to determine the result—there was a condition -much to the general liking; this wasn’t to be a -contest practically limited to the half dozen -Juniors with a known knack for writing. -Even the Shark wagged his head approvingly, -though he had no notion of entering -the lists, white paper used for composition instead -of figuring being more or less wasted, to -his way of thinking. Only Poke remained -indifferent, and sunk in gloom.</p> - -<p>The teacher, presently, called the class to -order, and the recitation proceeded. At its -close came recess, and the Juniors, flocking -into the corridors and out to the school yard, -fell to discussing the contest in all its bearings. -Sam and his chums happened to be standing -near the foot of the stairs when the principal -came down from his office on the second floor, -accompanied by a youth at whom the boys -stared in surprise. For the youth was Paul -Varley.</p> - -<p>Paul stopped to speak to the boys, and the -principal checked his pace, as if waiting for -the visitor to have his little talk with the -others.</p> - -<p>“Maybe I’ll be with you fellows,” Varley<span class="pagenum">[50]</span> -said. “Some things I want to brush up on. -I’ve been going over the business with Mr. -Curtis”—he glanced at the principal—“and -he thinks he can fix it for me.”</p> - -<p>“But we’re Juniors, and you’ll be a Senior,” -Sam remarked.</p> - -<p>“No; more of an unclassified special student. -I’ve had a pretty ‘spotty’ preparation, you -know; and it struck me it would be a good -thing to look after some of the weak spots -while I’m here. So I made up my mind to—— I -beg your pardon, madam!”</p> - -<p>Varley, as it chanced, was the only one of -the group who was facing the entrance. This -fact accounted for his sudden change of tone.</p> - -<p>A woman had come into the hall. She was -a comfortable, middle-aged, plump person, -whose hat was a trifle awry, and whose -manner indicated much earnestness.</p> - -<p>None of the others had seen her come in, -and none suspected her presence till Varley -spoke. Then everybody turned quickly.</p> - -<p>“I’m looking for somebody,” said the -woman briskly. “I guess he’s somewhere -round this school. Only—only I ain’t quite -as sure as I ought to be. And—and——”<span class="pagenum">[51]</span> -she hesitated, peering at the faces before her. -Compared with the light out-of-doors, the hall -was somewhat dim. “No, I don’t know -whether he’s here or not,” she concluded.</p> - -<p>“And his name——?” It was Varley who -put the question; for Sam and his friends appeared -to be tongue-tied, while the principal -chanced to be in the background.</p> - -<p>“Mercy me, but I don’t know! That’s the -trouble—they didn’t seem to know, either, any -of them—the men, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” said Varley courteously, but uncertainly.</p> - -<p>The principal stepped forward. “I’m -afraid we don’t understand, madam,” said he. -“If you’ll kindly explain——”</p> - -<p>The visitor laughed. “Dear me, but somehow -I always do manage to get the cart before -the horse! But the men, they said they -thought—— Wait a minute, though!” She -moved nearer Varley, and studied his face intently. -“Wait a minute! I vow, but this -one looks like the fellow. Yes; he’s the one.... -No, he isn’t, either. He’s the boy -that tried, and went rolling head over heels.”</p> - -<p>Varley gave a sudden laugh. “I get it!<span class="pagenum">[52]</span> -You’re talking about the runaway. And -you’re right—I was the fellow who took the -tumble.”</p> - -<p>“The runaway?” Two or three of the boys -spoke in chorus, wonderingly. Sam Parker -instinctively began to edge away. The movement -caught the woman’s attention. A sharp -glance at Sam, and her expression brightened.</p> - -<p>“Here he is, sure enough!” she cried. -“He didn’t tumble, and he held on like grim -death till the colt stopped, and the men came -running up to help. And then he slipped off -before I could get my breath or my manners -back enough to say ‘Thank you!’ But I’m -going to say it now, and say it out loud!”</p> - -<p>With that, she briskly pursued the retreating -Sam, overhauled him, and cast an affectionate -arm about his shoulders. Then, holding -him prisoner, she addressed all within -hearing.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you’ve heard or haven’t -heard about this, and I don’t care. I’m going -to give my testimony. This boy”—she gave -Sam a vigorous hug—“this boy did a brave -thing. He took the chance of breaking his -neck, when my colt was frightened by one<span class="pagenum">[53]</span> -of those pesky automobiles and made a -bolt. This boy”—another hug—“stopped -him, and saved me from being killed, or getting -an awful spill. And I’ve come here to -look him up, and thank him good and proper—so -there!”</p> - -<p>Now, to tell the truth, Sam at the moment -looked anything but a hero; for he was wriggling -and struggling vainly, and blushing furiously -and unhappily. So public and so demonstrative -a display of gratitude overwhelmed -him.</p> - -<p>“I—I—oh, ’twasn’t anything,” he stammered.</p> - -<p>“I tell you, it was a whole lot to me!” declared -the woman. “And I’ve been racking -my brains how to show how I feel about it.” -Again her arm tightened, and for a panic-stricken -second Sam thought she was about to -kiss him then and there, and in the presence -of the crowd. He made a frantic effort for -freedom, and his captress, who may have had -some notion of boyish diffidence, released him, -her eyes twinkling.</p> - -<p>Sam would have given much for the privilege -of instant flight; but luckily kept his<span class="pagenum">[54]</span> -wits and held his ground. To run away -would be merely to add fuel to the fire of ridicule -to which he believed his mates would -subject him. So he tarried, and miserably attempted -to smile, thereby deceiving nobody, -and least of all the visitor.</p> - -<p>With a degree of tact she turned to the -principal.</p> - -<p>“You’re Mr. Curtis, aren’t you? I thought -that was your name. Mine’s Grant—Mrs. -John Grant. I live over in Sugar Valley. I -guess that’ll do for introductions, though you -might as well tell me this boy’s name, if you -please.”</p> - -<p>“Samuel Parker,” said Mr. Curtis.</p> - -<p>“I won’t forget it, or what its owner did for -me. I’ve tried to thank him, but I ain’t sure -that I’ve exactly tickled him in doing it.” -She smiled whimsically, and Sam, in spite of -himself, winced. “But what I hope he’ll understand, -and all of you will understand, is -that I’m his friend for life. I’d like to do -something to show how I feel about it. And -I will do something!” Suddenly she wheeled -to face Sam. “Come now! All boys I ever -heard of liked good things to eat. It may<span class="pagenum">[55]</span> -strike you as not amounting to much, but I’ll -send you one of my mince pies——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but you mustn’t!” Sam protested. -“It—it’ll be too much trouble.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant paid scant heed to the objection. -“I guess you don’t know the kind of pie I -mean. There’s pies and pies, young man. -And you won’t forget the one I send you.”</p> - -<p>Poor Sam feared that this was likely to -prove a very mild statement. Forget? Would -that he could forget the whole affair, or better -yet, that his chums might forget this most -embarrassing episode! But while he grinned -feebly, and strove to contrive a fitting speech, -Mrs. Grant came to his rescue by bidding -everybody a cheery farewell and taking herself -off, apparently well pleased with the results -of her visit to the school.</p> - -<p>“Well, I feel like old Columbus when he -sighted America—he’d come a long way to -find something, and he’d found it. And ’tis -quite a drive in from Sugar Valley, but ’twas -worth the trouble. I’ve found out things. -So it’s a good day’s work for me—and, Master -Parker, I’ll try to make it a good day for you, -too. You’ll hear from me again and—no;<span class="pagenum">[56]</span> -you wait and see what’ll happen. So good-bye, -everybody, good-bye!”</p> - -<p>Out of the door and down the steps she -went, smiling broadly, while behind her -silence reigned for seconds. All eyes were -on Sam, as he was most miserably aware. -Other pupils had come up in time to hear her -closing remarks, and there was quite a little -crowd in the corridor, including some of the -girls.</p> - -<p>One of the latter ended the silence. She -tittered nervously rather than mischievously. -There was a ripple of laughter; then some of -the boys set up a shout in the very presence -of the principal.</p> - -<p>Poor Sam would have blessed his stars had -a trap-door opened beneath his feet and permitted -him to drop out of sight. But the -stout floor remained intact. The principal -raised a warning hand, and shook his head -at some of those who were giving way to -mirth; but Sam did not wait for order to be -restored. He turned, and blindly forcing a -way through the press, retreated as best he -might, but in most unheroic fashion. He -had not been afraid of a runaway horse, but<span class="pagenum">[57]</span> -with all a boy’s diffidence he dreaded the -sort of celebrity his exploit unexpectedly had -brought him.</p> - -<p>On the outskirts of the group Poke tugged -at the Shark’s sleeve.</p> - -<p>“There now! What did I tell you?” he -demanded.</p> - -<p>The Shark peered through his glasses at -his friend. Poke was no longer gloomy. He -was grinning with a queer effect of utter -complacency.</p> - -<p>“One time or another you’ve told me a -lot of idiotic things,” growled the Shark. -“Which particular one do you mean now?”</p> - -<p>“That warning—warning of trouble for -somebody.”</p> - -<p>“Rats!”</p> - -<p>Poke wagged his head. “Look here, Shark! -I said it, and you heard me say it. I told -you I was sure a heap of trouble was coming to -somebody. Well, it came! Old Sam caught -it. I wouldn’t have been in his shoes just -now for—for—for I don’t know what. Neither -would you. So the warning made good!”</p> - -<p>The Shark rubbed his chin with an unusual -manner of doubt. “Why—why—well,<span class="pagenum">[58]</span> -it was fierce for Sam. But I—I’d hate to -admit——”</p> - -<p>“Course you would!” Poke interrupted. -“You’re prejudiced. You don’t believe in -anything unless you can put it in figures.”</p> - -<p>The taunt swept away the Shark’s indecision. -“Warning—nothing!” he snapped. -“Too much mince pie, that’s all!”</p> - -<p>Poke’s grin was triumphant. “All right! -Call it too much mince pie, if you want -to. But wait till Sam gets that pie that’s -promised him, and the crowd hears about it! -Then I guess you’ll think I was right all -through.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” grunted the Shark skeptically.</p> - -<p>Poke laughed aloud. “Ho, ho, ho! I -don’t beat you often, Shark, but when I do, -I beat you all to pieces. Talk about mince -pie, if you want to. I’ll talk about it, too, -and when we get through, we’ll see who hits -nearer the truth. Just you wait and see, -and——”</p> - -<p>But the Shark was moving away. For once, -at least, he found it impossible to maintain -argument against Poke, the unmathematical -philosopher and seer of strange visions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[59]</span></p> - -<p>Sam’s good deed had brought him most -embarrassing reward. Of this the Shark was -quite as convinced as Poke could be, or Sam -himself.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[60]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">SAM’S COUNSELLOR</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Sam took the matter of Mrs. Grant’s gratitude -and the promised pie much to heart. -He was, as it happened, a sensitive fellow, -and he was of the age at which dread of ridicule -is perhaps keenest. So he readily imagined -that the whole school was laughing at -him and the picture he must have presented -with Mrs. Grant’s stout arm about his shoulders; -and made himself miserable by suspicion -of amusement in every glance he caught and -of personal application in every laugh he -heard.</p> - -<p>He had been reasonably satisfied with the -manner in which he had stopped the runaway, -and might not have objected to a certain -amount of publicity, provided it could -have come in the right way. If some man, -who had been a witness of the affair, should -have met him on the street, and clapped him -on the shoulder, and growled “Clever job<span class="pagenum">[61]</span> -you did, youngster!” or “Good work, son!”—why, -that would have been all right, and -quite in accord with his idea of the proprieties. -But to be hugged and patted, and -promised a pie, with his club-mates and -others looking on, to say nothing of the -principal—truly, Sam felt that his was a -hard and undeserved fate.</p> - -<p>His behavior was somewhat like that of -most stricken creatures; that is, he sought -solitude. He shunned the club. From -school he went straight home, and there, -curled up in a corner of the library, read or -studied industriously. Even to his father -and mother he said little, and to neither did -he confide a syllable of his unhappy experience. -This sort of thing went on for two or -three days, with the natural result that by -much brooding upon his troubles he magnified -them out of all proportion, and made -himself so genuinely miserable that, at last, -he was driven in desperation to seek diversion. -He tried to find it at the club, and -again his luck was bad.</p> - -<p>Trojan Walker had the gift of mimicry, -and Herman Boyd liked to devise little<span class="pagenum">[62]</span> -dramatic scenes. Sam walked in upon the -assembled club, just in time to behold the -Trojan, with a shawl wrapped about him to -increase his resemblance to Mrs. Grant, presenting -a lump of dough on a toy pie-plate to -Herman, to the extreme delectation of the -spectators. Step and Poke were roaring with -laughter, and even the solemn Shark was -chuckling.</p> - -<p>“Heroic youth, accept this slight trifle as -a testimonial of my deep and undying gratitude -and affection,” the Trojan was reciting. -“You risked your life to save me, and now -you can risk it again. This is no common -pie. It’s a—a—a——”</p> - -<p>There the Trojan hesitated, stammered, -paused. He had caught sight of Sam, standing -in the doorway; and something in the -other’s face warned him that he was on dangerous -ground.</p> - -<p>Oddly enough, it was the Shark who broke -the silence, which for a moment held the -group.</p> - -<p>“Come in and shut the door, Sam,” he said -curtly. “You’re making a draught.”</p> - -<p>But Sam neither closed the door nor advanced<span class="pagenum">[63]</span> -into the room. Instead, he held his -position, glancing from one to another of his -chums. Poke laughed nervously; Step fell -to rubbing his jaw with a quaint air of perplexity. -The Trojan and Herman instinctively -fell back a pace, as if expecting attack. -Sam’s face was white, but his eyes were blazing.</p> - -<p>There was another pause, which seemed -very long to all the boys, watching the newcomer, -and perceiving more or less clearly -that he was having a hard fight to keep his -self-control. Then, of a sudden, Sam turned -on his heel, and strode out, slamming the -door behind him, and leaving a party no -longer in a mood for private theatricals.</p> - -<p>The Trojan cast his shawl into a corner; -Herman dropped weakly into a chair. Poke, -staring at the door beyond which Sam had -vanished, spoke for all of them.</p> - -<p>“Gee—minee!” he quavered. “But who’d -’a’ thought he’d take it as hard as all that?”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Sam was hurrying along the -street. When he came to his father’s place, -he turned in at the big gate, but instead of -going to the house marched to the barn.<span class="pagenum">[64]</span> -There in a combined harness room and workshop -he came upon Lon Gates, coachman, -chauffeur, gardener and general factotum of -the Parker household, and also often counsellor -and sometimes consoler of its youngest -member.</p> - -<p>A glance showed Lon that Sam was flying -storm signals. Out of the corner of an eye -he watched the boy, who had dropped upon -a bench near the little stove. A full minute -passed before either spoke.</p> - -<p>“Well?” Lon drawled, finally.</p> - -<p>Sam made no reply, but stared industriously -at his shoes.</p> - -<p>Lon went on with his work—he was repairing -a harness. He fitted a new buckle in -place of an old one; tested it; glanced again -at his young friend.</p> - -<p>“I dunno, Sam, but you’d feel better if you -got it out of your system,” he remarked leisurely.</p> - -<p>No response from the youth on the bench.</p> - -<p>Lon continued his task for a time. Then -he began to whistle. Sam stirred uneasily.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter? Out o’ tune, am I?” -Lon inquired.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[65]</span></p> - -<p>“Way out!” snapped the boy.</p> - -<p>Then Lon laughed. “Ha, ha! Must ’a’ -ketched it off you, son. What’s the trouble, -anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“Noth—nothing.”</p> - -<p>“All right—tell me about it.”</p> - -<p>Sam raised his head. “Oh, it’s nothing—nothing -to talk about, that is.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Lon meditatively, “it pays to -experiment now and then. You never can -tell ’bout some things. And there is sort of a -relief, somehow, in usin’ the human voice—kinder -safety-valve effect. And it looks to -me as if you’d been bottlin’ up steam long -enough.... T’other boys been rilin’ -you, did you say?”</p> - -<p>“Yes—but I didn’t say so.”</p> - -<p>Lon waved a hand. “Well, now you’re -started, go ahead. I’m listenin’.”</p> - -<p>Sam hesitated. “It—it’s a long story.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the odds? It’s a long time before -we have to knock off for supper.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I couldn’t tell you everything.”</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t, eh? That club o’ yourn in it?”</p> - -<p>“Hang the club!” cried Sam hotly. “I’ll -never go there again!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[66]</span></p> - -<p>Lon shook his head. “All right, maybe, -only—only what do you fellers call yourselves? -Beats all how I forget names!”</p> - -<p>“It’s the Safety First Club.”</p> - -<p>“Why, so it is! And ‘Safety First’—that’s -your motto, ain’t it? Good ’un, at that! It’ll -keep you out of lots of mix-ups by makin’ you -stop to think twice before you do things or say -things you’ll be sorry for.”</p> - -<p>The red crept into Sam’s face. “Oh, well, -Lon,” he said, “maybe I’ll go there again some -time. But I wouldn’t now—you couldn’t hire -me to. The way that crowd treated me——”</p> - -<p>“Hold on! All the crowd?”</p> - -<p>Sam reflected briefly. “Orkney wasn’t -there,” he admitted. “But he’d have been -as bad as the rest.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be too sure of that,” Lon advised. -“That Orkney boy thinks a heap of you, Sam—all -the more, likely’s not, ’cause you’re -kinder an acquired taste with him. Mind -how you two started to scrap, and how you -misjudged each other, and how he ran away, -and how you was mighty glad to have a hand -in bringin’ him back? And——”</p> - -<p>Sam stopped him. “Lon, that’s all true.<span class="pagenum">[67]</span> -But that’s another story. This one’s about -me, and I—well, I’m the goat. And for that -crowd to keep bringing up to me how that -woman grabbed me, and told me she’d give -me a mince pie—but say! I didn’t mean to -tell you.”</p> - -<p>“I know you didn’t,” said Lon calmly. -“But now you might as well go ahead, and -fill in the blanks in the yarn.”</p> - -<p>Sam drew a long breath. It would be a relief -to have a confidant, and he trusted Lon’s -discretion.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll tell you—tell you the whole -thing,” he said, and plunged into the narrative, -beginning with his dash for the head of -Mrs. Grant’s runaway horse, and continuing -through the scene at the school and the interrupted -performance at the Safety First Club.</p> - -<p>Lon listened with admirable gravity. He -understood perfectly Sam’s frame of mind.</p> - -<p>“Jesso, jesso!” he remarked sagely, when -the tale was told. “Riled you all up, Sam, -didn’t it? But I dunno’s there’s anything real -fatal about it. The Grants are mighty nice -folks—I know ’em. Fine place they’ve got -over to Sugar Valley, too. And Mis’ Grant—she<span class="pagenum">[68]</span> -meant all right, only she didn’t realize, -mebbe, that a boy’s more or less like a rabbit -when it comes to public pettin’, and behaves -accordin’. So, if you’d cut and run——”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t,” Sam explained hotly.</p> - -<p>“Good thing you couldn’t. Same way -when Mis’ Grant makes good with that mince -pie——”</p> - -<p>There Sam’s wrath exploded. He raged for -a moment or two, Lon listening patiently.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’ll be some mince pie,” he said at -last, when the boy had paused for lack of -breath. “If I was you, I wouldn’t be declinin’ -it ahead o’ time and sight unseen. -You can never tell, you know, how the thing -may strike you when it happens. Maybe -you’ll be hungry, and maybe you’ll feel like -treatin’ that club of yours——”</p> - -<p>“No—no, siree! I’m through with ’em!” -Sam managed to gasp.</p> - -<p>“Umph! Not flocking with ’em much, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“You bet not! Not after the way they -ragged me!”</p> - -<p>Lon meditated briefly. “Sam,” he said, -“you’re an amazin’ human critter. Fust and<span class="pagenum">[69]</span> -last, you have got a power o’ human ways -about you. And I reckon most every human -with any spunk one time or another makes -up his mind the whole world’s against him, -and starts in to fight it. So he tries to kick -the world ’round for a while, and likely’s not -keeps it up until he notices that he’s stubbed -his toe and the world ain’t takin’ any interest -to speak of.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!”</p> - -<p>Lon chuckled softly. “Te he! Say! -Wonder if I ever told you about old Brodman.”</p> - -<p>There was a little pause. Then Sam said, -“Guess not.” He spoke half curiously, half -unwillingly.</p> - -<p>“Well, old Brodman was a pretty decent -citizen—all right in his way. But he was -jest as human as you, Sam. So it happened -once he got to figgerin’ that the town was -down on him and treatin’ him mean. ‘I’ll -get even with ’em,’ he says to himself; ‘I’ll -have nothin’ to do with ’em.’ So off he goes, -and flocks all by himself for a good, long -spell. At last, though, it gets sorter tiresome, -and back he trots, and runs smack into one<span class="pagenum">[70]</span> -of his old neighbors. ‘Hello!’ says the neighbor, -casual like. ‘How do you do?’ says old -Brodman, all dignified. The neighbor yawns -and looks at the sky. ‘Kinder threatenin’ -rain, ain’t it?’ says he. Old Brodman glares -at him. ‘Look here!’ says he, ‘don’t you -and all the rest of the town know I’ve been -away? Hain’t ye missed me?’ ‘Wal, I -wouldn’t exactly call it “missed,”’ says the -neighbor. ‘You see, Brodman, ’most everybody -thought you was in jail.’”</p> - -<p>Sam sprang to his feet. He crossed the -room to a window, through which he stared -industriously.</p> - -<p>“If you’d like to have the moral o’ that -story,” Lon went on, “it’s that one human -can’t buck all the rest. The odds are too big. -What’s a ton to him ain’t a featherweight to -the world. And applyin’ that moral to a -case nearer home, I’d say you’d better make -up your mind to go back to your crowd, and -<a id="BRef_70" href="#Ref_70">grin and bear it</a>. And the more you grin, the -less you’ll have to bear.”</p> - -<div id="Ref_70" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i073.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center">“<a href="#BRef_70">GRIN AND BEAR IT</a>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p>“I won’t do it.”</p> - -<p>“Umph! Safety First! Ain’t that your -motto?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[71]</span></p> - -<p>“It doesn’t apply here.”</p> - -<p>“’Deed it does! Don’t let your notions get -twisted.”</p> - -<p>Sam continued to stare out of the window. -“You’re asking too much, Lon. I can’t stand -being a butt for a lot of fool jokes—I won’t -stand it!”</p> - -<p>“What’ll you do? Turn hermit?”</p> - -<p>“Why—why, no.”</p> - -<p>Lon resumed his work. There was a long -pause before he spoke.</p> - -<p>“Sam, you take my advice. You’ve been -mopin’ around the place for two-three days. -Get out and stretch your legs. Take a big -tramp—a reg’lar hike. Wonderful what a lot -of brain fog you can walk away from if you -walk far enough.”</p> - -<p>Sam shook his head. “No fun in that. -It’s beginning to snow, too.”</p> - -<p>“Well, go to-morrow, then. A fresh fall -will make crackin’ good snow-shoein’.”</p> - -<p>“No fun going alone.”</p> - -<p>Lon grinned. “Son, I guess, after all, that -story about old Brodman did sink in.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Don’t think it’s much of a story,” -Sam growled, and moved toward the door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[72]</span></p> - -<p>“That depends,” Lon called after him. -“A story’s like a crowbar—makes all the -difference in the world whether you use it -right or wrong.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[73]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">SNOW-SHOES</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The morning dawned clear and still. Over -night there had been a fall of several inches -of snow, freshening the white of the winter -landscape. Even the roadways were not dingy -now, while the fields were broad and smooth -and shining expanses. Sam heard the call of -out-of-doors, but hesitated to obey it. The -day was his, to do with as he pleased, for it -was Saturday, and there was no school session. -But, somehow, the call was of the sort that -one ought not to hear alone, being, indeed, a -comradely, sociable call of good fellowship.</p> - -<p>To make the most of such a day one ought -to be with one’s chums. Sam understood this -perfectly—and stubbornly fought the understanding. -Lon’s advice had not been wasted, -though it had not persuaded Sam to seek the -Safety First Club boys again.</p> - -<p>After all, his problem was not so simple as<span class="pagenum">[74]</span> -it might appear to be. In addition to the resentment -felt by a sensitive fellow, something -was involved which, for want of a better term, -might be called “club politics.” Sam had -been the leader of the crowd and of the club. -Often his had been the deciding opinion, when -his mates had failed to agree. It can hardly -be said that he had consciously sought the -leadership, but it could not be denied that he -enjoyed it. And he was a sufficiently shrewd -judge of boy nature—which is a good deal -like human nature in general—to realize that -a leader who is laughed at is not likely to retain -his prestige. Besides, he had failed to -take the easy way out of his trouble at the -beginning. If he could have laughed with -the others, and made a joke of his embarrassment, -the whole affair might now be an old -story; but the others having rocked with -laughter, while he stood miserably silent, it -was still a story the club found intensely -diverting.</p> - -<p>Sam pressed his nose against the window-pane, -and stared unhappily at the crisp, white -snow. It was very inviting—but the idea of -a lonely tramp did not appeal to him. And<span class="pagenum">[75]</span> -while he gazed disconsolately, Paul Varley -came along the street, with a pair of snow-shoes -under his arm.</p> - -<p>Sam regarded him hungrily. To tell the -truth, Varley filled the eye. His gay-colored -knitted cap was set jauntily on his head; a -mackinaw jacket of striking pattern was buttoned -about him, and leggins and moccasins -added to the general effect of his apparel.</p> - -<p>Sam watched the city youth disappear up -the street. Then, suddenly, he turned from -the window. Inspiration had seized him.</p> - -<p>Varley undoubtedly would put on his -snow-shoes when he reached the outskirts -of the town, and strike out over the hills. -If he kept near the main road, it would be -possible for a pursuer to use a short-cut, and -overhaul him without much difficulty. Just -at the time, too, Varley was almost the only -fellow with whom Sam felt that he could foregather -without sacrifice of pride, for in the -matter of the runaway Varley’s part had been -sufficiently inglorious. So Sam made haste. -He got himself into cap and coat, and laid -hold of his snow-shoes, and departed by way -of back streets and paths which lessened distance.<span class="pagenum">[76]</span> -Where the houses were few and far -between, and there were long stretches of snow -unmarked by runner or footprint, he adjusted -his snow-shoes with practiced care, and headed -up a little valley, marked here and there by -clumps of trees. Traveling briskly, he soon -reached the end of the valley, and climbed a -low hill to his left. At its top ran the road -Varley was likely to follow. So shrewdly -had Sam made his calculations that, when he -gained the summit, he saw the other approaching -and hardly a hundred yards away.</p> - -<p>For a novice Varley was not doing badly. -His speed, to be sure, was not great, and he -floundered along a bit clumsily on his web-supports; -but he took no tumbles while Sam -waited for him to come up.</p> - -<p>“Hullo, Parker!” he called out, as he drew -near. “Where did you drop from?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’m just taking a little breezer,” responded -Sam carelessly. “Pretty good going, -eh?”</p> - -<p>Varley laughed. “I guess it’s good; I don’t -know. This is a new game for me.”</p> - -<p>Sam surveyed him from head to foot. “Well, -you’re rigged for it, anyway.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[77]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I outfitted at one of the big sporting-goods -stores before I left the city. Sometimes -I wonder if I didn’t rather overdo -it.”</p> - -<p>“You’re all right,” said Sam shortly, if -encouragingly. “Say! that’s a newfangled -sandal you’ve got there.”</p> - -<p>Varley glanced at the leather foot-piece attached -to the snow-shoe and into which his -foot fitted snugly.</p> - -<p>“They told me it was the latest thing. -Somehow, though, I’m not sure that it works -as it ought to.”</p> - -<p>Down went Sam on his knee. He made -close inspection; pulled experimentally at one -of the sandals; shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Your left foot’s too far back—gives you no -toe-hold. Want me to shift it?”</p> - -<p>“Wish you would!” said Varley heartily. -With interest he watched Sam set to work -deftly, loosening the thongs which bound the -sandal to the web and then readjusting them -and knotting them firmly.</p> - -<p>“There! Guess that’ll give the play you -need,” said Sam, and stood up.</p> - -<p>Varley nodded. “Feels better, anyway.<span class="pagenum">[78]</span> -And I say! Mind, do you, if I trot along -with you?”</p> - -<p>“Course not—come along!” Sam told him -with real heartiness.</p> - -<p>Varley ran his glance over the miles of -country visible from the little elevation on -which they stood. The morning air was wonderfully -clear, and the snow glittered bravely -in the wintry sunshine.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but this is bully!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“’Tis pretty good,” Sam admitted. “Look! -Notice that peak sticking up to the north—way -off—right on the sky-line? That’s old -Pequaket—one of the big hills, you know. -It’s all of seventy miles off—you can’t see it, -except when things are right. And the little -mountain to the south—that’s Rainbow. -’Tisn’t much of a mountain, at that, but somehow -it manages to make quite a show. And -there’s a hotel at the base of it. Nice place, -too. Began by being a summer house, but -now one wing’s kept open for folks who come -up for winter sports.”</p> - -<p>Varley shaded his eyes with his hand. -“How far away’s the little mountain—Rainbow, -you called it, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[79]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, eight or nine miles.”</p> - -<p>Out went Varley’s arm. He pointed to a -gap in a ridge to the right.</p> - -<p>“That’s a queer jog off there. What is it? -Railroad cut?”</p> - -<p>“No; it’s the entrance to Sugar Valley.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” said Varley politely, but without especial -interest.</p> - -<p>Sam felt the blood rush to his face, but -plunged ahead with the explanation he seemed -to be bound to make. “The valley widens -out a lot a little way in. And there are some -fine sugar camps—that’s how the place gets its -name.”</p> - -<p>“Sugar camps?” Varley repeated doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“Yes—for making maple sugar.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, maple sugar? I get you. I’d like to -see ’em make it.”</p> - -<p>Sam could have hugged him. Plainly -enough, Sugar Valley did not suggest Mrs. -Grant and her manifestation of gratitude.</p> - -<p>“You’ll have plenty of chances. The season -comes when the snow goes. Now let’s get -along! Care where we go?”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit,” said Varley. “You lead.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[80]</span></p> - -<p>It was rather incautious permission. Sam, -elated by discovery of a companion who appeared -to have lost sight of the runaway and -its consequences, cheered by fellowship, and -with the magic of the bracing air and the sunshine -to set his blood coursing swiftly, set out -at a pace which soon left Varley floundering -far in the rear. Observing this, Sam halted -for the other to overtake him, and went on -more sedately, pausing now and then to give -Varley a helpful hint. The city boy was an -apt pupil. He learned quickly, but it was clear -that his strength was not great. Sam, who was -an observant fellow, slackened pace still more.</p> - -<p>With such a day, though, neither of the pair -was likely to consider very seriously the distance -covered. They went on and on, sometimes -tramping over the unbroken snow beside -the road, sometimes making detours -across promising fields. Once or twice they -invaded wooded tracts, but roots and branches -proved too big a tax on Varley’s skill, and -they promptly made for the open. They were -in high spirits, the novice’s occasional tumbles -seeming to be as entertaining to him as to his -instructor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[81]</span></p> - -<p>At last, as they halted on the top of a small -hill, a sound came to their ears, a far-off sound, -not loud but distinct, and often repeated.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” Varley asked curiously.</p> - -<p>“Guess!” said Sam.</p> - -<p>The other listened intently. There’s no -stillness more wonderful than that of a calm -day when the snow lies deep on the ground, -and the earth seems to be dozing comfortably -under its white coverlet. Tap, tap, tap! came -the distant sounds, breaking the silence with -almost the regularity of the beat of a pendulum.</p> - -<p>“I—I can’t imagine what makes those -sounds, but they’re—well, they’re clear-cut—if -you can call it that.”</p> - -<p>“You’re guessing better than you knew,” -quoth Sam. “Wood-chopper over in the woods -yonder.”</p> - -<p>“You mean a lumberman?”</p> - -<p>“More likely some farm-hand getting out -fire-wood.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve never seen a tree cut down—a big -tree, that is.”</p> - -<p>Sam laughed. “Well, that chap probably -isn’t leveling any forest monarch, but if you’d<span class="pagenum">[82]</span> -like to see him work, there’s no reason why -you shouldn’t. Come ahead!”</p> - -<p>Off they set again, Sam leading. They -crossed a valley at the foot of the hill, -mounted a gradual slope on the farther side, -climbed an old stone wall, and found themselves -in a wood lot, fairly free of undergrowth. -The sounds of the axe were much -louder now. Sam, pointing, gave a shout.</p> - -<p>“See that treetop sway? We’ll be in time -to see it come down!”</p> - -<p>They hurried forward. That is, Sam hurried -and made progress. Varley, also making haste, -caught a snow-shoe on a hidden obstruction, -and took a magnificent header into a drift. -He was struggling up in a second, powdered -with snow from head to foot, with snow up -his sleeves and down his neck, but grinning -cheerily in spite of his mishap.</p> - -<p>Sam, glancing back, shouted again. Varley -took a step forward. Then suddenly he cried -out, sharply, warningly.</p> - -<p>The tree was no longer swaying back and -forth. Instead, the tall trunk was falling like -a great beam swinging on a pivot at its base. -Its limbs tore through the boughs of its<span class="pagenum">[83]</span> -smaller neighbors, but above the noise of -cracking and breaking wood rose a voice, -shrill with alarm.</p> - -<p>It was all over with startling swiftness. -Here was a case in which fractions of a second -counted. The woodsman, stepping back when -his final blow with the axe had been delivered, -had heard Sam’s shout. For an instant his -attention had been distracted; and in that -fateful instant the course of the falling tree -was diverted from its original direction. -When the man became aware of his peril, -the trunk was descending straight upon him. -He tried to spring aside, but it was too late to -escape. He was caught, hurled to the ground, -and held there, with the tree trunk fairly -across his body.</p> - -<p>Varley had had just a glimpse of what was -occurring. It was because of this that he had -cried out, instinctively trying to give warning, -though he hardly realized the full danger to -the man, of whom he first caught sight just -before the tree struck him.</p> - -<p>Sam, who had not perceived how near they -were to the chopper until Varley gave him a -hint, needed but a glance to understand the<span class="pagenum">[84]</span> -sort of accident which had befallen. He -dashed to the side of the prostrate workman, -caught his arm, and tried to drag him from -beneath the tree. The effort was in vain. -The man groaned feebly, and opened his -eyes.</p> - -<p>Varley, quivering with excitement, came -up, and tugged uselessly at the tree trunk.</p> - -<p>“Can’t we lift this? Tell me what to do—anything! -I can’t stir it—it must weigh -tons!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>Sam was doing his best to think fast and -clearly. The chopper, a big, powerful fellow -though he was, could do nothing to help himself. -Even had he suffered no injury he was -so pinned down that he was held as if he -were trapped. But for the deep cushion of -snow he must have been terribly crushed; -and even this had not served to save him -from hurts which the boy believed to be -serious enough.</p> - -<p>The man spoke faintly, brokenly: “Get—get -somebody! Over on the road—there’ll -be somebody drivin’ along.”</p> - -<p>Sam bent over him. “Where’s the nearest -house?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[85]</span></p> - -<p>“Too—too far. And only the women folks -to home. Try the—the road!”</p> - -<p>“Where are you hurt—worst?”</p> - -<p>The man made a feeble attempt to raise his -head. With an effort he suppressed a moan. -Big drops of sweat were showing on his forehead.</p> - -<p>“Ribs—two-three cracked or—or caved in. -Hur—hurry, can’t ye?”</p> - -<p>Varley caught Sam’s sleeve. “I’ll go! -Best thing to do. I’m no good here, and you -may be. All right?”</p> - -<p>Sam nodded. He did not see what service -he could render by remaining; yet he was -unwilling to desert the sufferer, and Varley -could do as much as he could in summoning -passers-by to the rescue.</p> - -<p>“Beat it, then!” he said crisply.</p> - -<p>Varley set off at the best pace he could -make; and while Sam was studying the problem -of first aid under difficulties, <a id="BRef_Frontispiece" href="#Ref_Frontispiece">his new -comrade was racing across the fields</a>. Breathless -from his exertions, he reached the highway -just as two youths on snow-shoes came -into sight around a bend. Varley recognized -them as Poke and Step. They were not the<span class="pagenum">[86]</span> -aids he would have chosen in such an emergency, -but this was not a time for delay.</p> - -<p>Step hailed him with amazement. “Hullo! -What are you doing off here by your lonesome? -Lost, are you?”</p> - -<p>“Come—come along!” Varley panted. -“Both—both of you! Man hurt—over in -the woods!”</p> - -<p>“But what are you——?”</p> - -<p>Varley didn’t let Step finish the question.</p> - -<p>“Hustle! It’s a—a bad job. Parker sent -me——”</p> - -<p>“What! Sam Parker hurt?”</p> - -<p>Varley wrung his hands in impatience. -“No, no! Tree fell on a fellow. Parker -stayed with him, and sent me for help.”</p> - -<p>Step looked vastly relieved. “Oh, that’s -it, eh? And Sam’s all right? And he’s staying -with the other chap? Well, he knows -what to do, if anybody knows.”</p> - -<p>So speaking, Step swung one of his long -legs over the low wall, and followed it with -the other.</p> - -<p>“Poke and I are just out for a breather—great -going, eh? But if you’re after hustle, -I’m your man. So’s Poke. Come along!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[87]</span></p> - -<p>Varley turned, and headed for the woods, -the others keeping close beside him.</p> - -<p>“If you’ve got wind enough, tell us just -what happened,” Step suggested.</p> - -<p>Varley did his best to comply. It is to be -feared, though, that his story was not very -coherent. Indeed, he had given his companions -little more than an outline of the story -when they reached the timber.</p> - -<p>Sam had not been idle. He had scraped -away a good deal of the snow about the injured -man, and having found a stout pole, -was experimenting with it as a lever, though -he had not succeeded in raising the tree trunk -by an inch.</p> - -<p>The victim of the accident was groaning -faintly; but he pluckily gritted his teeth, -when Step and Poke sprang to the lever, and -hoisted with all their strength. Then Varley -added his efforts. The tree rose very, very -slowly.</p> - -<p>“Try to hold her where she is!” Sam told -his comrades.</p> - -<p>Bending down, he caught the man by the -shoulders, and with all possible care drew him -from beneath the huge, imprisoning bar. The<span class="pagenum">[88]</span> -sufferer’s face was contorted with pain, but his -grit didn’t fail him.</p> - -<p>“Goo—good work, boys!” he gasped.</p> - -<p>The three at the lever loosened their hold, -and the tree settled back to its bed in the -snow. Varley tore off his gay mackinaw. -He was about to put it under the man’s head -when Sam stopped him.</p> - -<p>“Hold on! You’ve given me a hint. We -ought to get him out of here and under shelter. -And we need a stretcher.... Don’t -roll up that jacket. Button it, though, and -see that the sleeves are clear.”</p> - -<p>Varley obeyed, wonderingly, while Sam -stripped off his own overcoat.</p> - -<p>“Get a couple of poles—good, straight -ones!” he said curtly to Step and Poke.</p> - -<p>The former had a big knife; the latter -caught up the woodsman’s axe. In a moment -each had cut a promising sapling and -was lopping away the leafless branches.</p> - -<p>Sam slipped an end of one of the poles inside -Varley’s coat, and through the right -sleeve. Then he repeated the operation with -the other pole, this time, however, making -use of the left sleeve. A moment more, and<span class="pagenum">[89]</span> -he had similarly disposed of his own overcoat -at the other end of the poles, and was drawing -the two garments close together. Thus -he had an extemporized stretcher, with the -coats as cover and the saplings as supports. -It was not a handsome contrivance, but looked -serviceable. The heavy outer jackets were of -stout cloth, and the sleeves would prevent the -poles from working loose.</p> - -<p>And now came a difficult task—the placing -of the sufferer on the stretcher. In this all -the boys joined, doing their work as gently as -they could. The woodsman did his best to -help, but in spite of his pluck a deep groan -burst from his lips, and his face was ashen -when at last he lay upon the coats.</p> - -<p>At a nod from Sam the boys laid hold of -the poles, Sam himself and Step at the man’s -head, and Poke and Varley at his feet.</p> - -<p>“Easy, everybody!” was the leader’s caution, -but it was hardly necessary. With all -imaginable care the stretcher was raised, and -the bearers began their slow march. Luckily, -the hardest part of it was soon over. Once -they were out of the woods and in the open -fields progress was easier, especially for Varley,<span class="pagenum">[90]</span> -who was still far from master of his snow-shoes.</p> - -<p>Sam had learned where the man lived, and -directed their course toward the house, which -was perhaps a quarter-mile from the scene of -the accident. Before reaching it they came to -the road, and had to solve a problem in scaling -the wall with their burden. This they -accomplished safely, though not without much -trouble; but, as if in speedy reward, they then -experienced an unexpected bit of good fortune.</p> - -<p>A white horse came trotting along the -beaten track, drawing a sleigh in which rode -a gray old man, muffled in a huge fur coat. -At sight of the party the old man pulled up.</p> - -<p>“Dr. Emery!” cried Poke and Step joyfully.</p> - -<p>The doctor sprang from the sleigh. He -needed no explanation of what had happened. -He made hasty examination of the woodsman; -glanced at the extemporized stretcher; -grunted.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Good idea, that! Rough and -ready, but it answers. And you’re bringing -him in? Right!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[91]</span></p> - -<p>The injured man forced the wanest and -faintest of smiles.</p> - -<p>“Say, Doc!” he whispered. “Them—them -boys—they—they’ve got gumption!”</p> - -<p>The doctor nodded briskly, and began to -climb into his sleigh.</p> - -<p>“It’s only a little way to the house—’twouldn’t -pay to try to load him in here. -I’ll go ahead, and have things ready to take -care of him. Get him to the door, and there -I’ll take him off your hands.”</p> - -<p>Step tightened his grip on the stretcher -pole. He looked to Sam for orders.</p> - -<p>“Give us the word, Sam,” he said. “You’re -captain of this team.”</p> - -<p>Sam felt his pulse quicken. Circumstances -had done for him what he would have been -puzzled to do for himself. Once more he and -his chums of the club were on the good old -terms of fellowship.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[92]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">A LITTLE LUNCH</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“Well! I’m mighty glad that’s over. -But now what are we going to do?”</p> - -<p>It was Step who spoke thus, addressing -Poke and Sam and Varley, as they stood -grouped in the road before the house in -which they had left the injured man. Nearly -an hour had passed since they brought him -home on the extemporized stretcher, and it -had been a busy hour at that. Dr. Emery -had not hesitated to press the boys into service. -They had gone on errands to neighbors’ -houses; they had assisted in the transfer of -the victim of the accident from the stretcher -to his bed; they had brought in a supply of -fire-wood for the woman of the house; Poke -had driven away in the doctor’s sleigh and -returned with a nurse of much experience in -caring for the sick of the countryside. At -last, though, all that could be done had been<span class="pagenum">[93]</span> -done. The doctor had resumed his interrupted -round; the nurse of experience had -taken charge of the distracted household; the -sufferer was resting as comfortably as one -might hope to rest with fractured ribs and -bruised body and limbs.</p> - -<p>“Boys, you’ve behaved like trumps,” had -been Dr. Emery’s parting words. “It has -been a good morning’s work for all of you. -Guess I’ll have to enroll you as my first-aid -detachment.”</p> - -<p>With that he clucked to his horse, and -rode off, leaving the four in the road. There -followed a long silence, which Step ended. -The boys looked at each other. Step had -uttered the thought of all of them. What -were they to do next?</p> - -<p>The strain and the excitement were over. -Not one of them but felt the reaction. Varley -gave a queer little laugh.</p> - -<p>“Fellows, this sort of thing’s all new to -me. I—well, it’s taken all the ginger out -of me. I feel like a—a——”</p> - -<p>“Like a rag?” Sam suggested.</p> - -<p>Varley nodded. “That’s it! Like a rag, -and a wet rag, to boot.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[94]</span></p> - -<p>Poke wagged his head solemnly. “I -know! Been there myself. Sort of gets -you here——” and he laid a hand on -his stomach.</p> - -<p>“That’s just it! It isn’t exactly as if you -were hungry, but like it, somehow.”</p> - -<p>Sam, the practical, pulled out his watch, -and whistled softly.</p> - -<p>“Whew! No wonder you chaps feel that -way. It’s twenty minutes to twelve.”</p> - -<p>“And dinner’s six or seven miles away!” -gasped Poke.</p> - -<p>“Nearer eight.”</p> - -<p>This time Poke didn’t gasp; he groaned. -“I see where somebody I know gets mighty -unpopular at our house. Confound fussy -folks, anyway!”</p> - -<p>“Same thing at our place,” quoth Step and -drew a long face. “If a fellow’s late for a -meal they act as if they thought he ought to -be in jail.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s up to us to make tracks,” said -Sam, then cast a half dubious glance at -Varley; a hurried march back to town would -be no joke for the novice on snow-shoes.</p> - -<p>Varley noted the glance, and read it aright.<span class="pagenum">[95]</span> -“Wait a minute, fellows,” he said. “I’ll own -up. I’m almost all in. No, I don’t mean I’m -leg-weary exactly; it’s more wear and tear on -nerves, I guess. If I could have a bite to eat -and a chance to sit down by a fire for a while, -I’d be all right.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! I guess that’s what Jonah said -when he found himself inside the whale!” -jeered Step.</p> - -<p>Sam spoke quickly. “Varley’s hit it! I -feel the same way, only I didn’t know enough -to say so. I don’t hanker for that tramp -home, but what else is there to do?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” agreed Poke gloomily. “We -might as well start.”</p> - -<p>But again Varley delayed them. “Hold -on! Parker, you told me about a hotel at -the foot of Rainbow Mountain, didn’t you? -Unless I’m all wrong in my geography, we -must have been traveling toward it, and it -can’t be very far away.”</p> - -<p>“Not more than a mile,” said Sam.</p> - -<p>The other’s face brightened. “Then I’ve a -scheme. Let’s go there and get something to -eat.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Sam doubtfully.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[96]</span></p> - -<p>Step shook his head, and Poke slapped a -pocket, from which came no cheering jingling -of coin.</p> - -<p>“My treat, of course!” cried Varley hastily.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’d better not—thank you, of -course, though.”</p> - -<p>That was Sam’s instinctive observation. -Step shook his head harder than ever. Poke -rubbed his chin uncertainly; at that moment -he was conscious of a peculiarly vigorous -appetite.</p> - -<p>Varley seemed to know how to meet the -objections of the others.</p> - -<p>“Oh, come now!” said he persuasively. -“You fellows have been doing things for -me, and helping me out with these contraptions——” -he glanced at his snow-shoes. -“You’ve given me a lot of pointers. Give -me a show to even up part of it. Parker -tells me the hotel is open. We’ll go there -and get a little lunch, and loaf around for a -while, and start for town when we feel like it. -It’s the one sensible thing to do. Why not?”</p> - -<p>None of the others found it easy to explain -why it was not the sensible thing. And Varley’s -careless reference to the proposed refreshment<span class="pagenum">[97]</span> -as a “little lunch” certainly did seem -to throw new light on the case and remove -in some degree the sense of incurring undue -obligation.</p> - -<p>“Why—why—I don’t know—that is, I -don’t see——” Poke began.</p> - -<p>“’Twould be fun,” Step admitted.</p> - -<p>“Certainly it will—come along!” Varley -urged.</p> - -<p>Sam hesitated. The case was of a sort to -perplex an older and wiser head than his. -On the one hand was reluctance to accept -hospitality he might not be able to return; -on the other was dread of appearing boorishly -unresponsive. His pocket money chanced to -be low; and he was quite sure Step and Poke -were in the same plight. So it couldn’t very -well be a “Dutch treat.” And pride revolted -a bit—town pride, perhaps—at being at a -disadvantage, compared with the city youth. -But Sam was hungry. Poke was hungry, too, -and so was Step.</p> - -<p>Varley tugged at Sam’s sleeve. “Let’s trot -along!” he urged. “Just a little lunch, you -know. Make us feel like fighting cocks, it -will. And I don’t mind telling you I need<span class="pagenum">[98]</span> -something like grub to take away that goneness.”</p> - -<p>It was the repetition of the “little lunch” -which turned the scales with Sam. Rather -vaguely he pictured light refreshment—sandwiches, -maybe, and a boiled egg or two—to -be enjoyed picnic fashion.</p> - -<p>“All right, I’m with you, Varley—and -much obliged,” he said. “Do as much for -you some day. And I’d be glad to have a -look at the Rainbow Mountain House. They -say it’s a very good hotel.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll find out how good it is!” cried -Varley jubilantly. “Come ahead!”</p> - -<p>It was a generous mile that lay between the -boys and the hotel, but with the spur of hunger -and the equally encouraging sense of mild -adventure, they covered the distance briskly -enough. On the road Varley was a humble -follower of his companions, but when they -entered the big lobby of the hostelry, he took -command of the expedition.</p> - -<p>The others hesitated briefly, glancing about -them at the great fire blazing cheerily, at the -many easy chairs, at the tables on which were -ranged newspapers and magazines, at the deer<span class="pagenum">[99]</span> -heads on the wall, at the half dozen guests -who were in evidence, some of them in the -fur coats in which they had just returned -from a long drive in sleighs. But Varley -unconcernedly crossed to the desk, and addressed -the clerk on duty.</p> - -<p>“Lunch for four,” he said. “And we’d -like it at once, if we can have it.”</p> - -<p>The clerk pushed forward the big register, -and offered Varley a pen.</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” said he. “Luncheon is served -in the main dining-room.”</p> - -<p>Varley entered the names of the party in -the book—he had to ask Step and Poke’s -initials, but he wrote “Samuel Parker” without -hesitation. Then he stepped back, smiling -cheerily.</p> - -<p>“We’ll freshen up a bit, and then go right -in,” said he.</p> - -<p>Both Sam and Step had been studying the -lobby and the people, but Poke was staring, -in a sort of fascination, at a tall vase at an end -of the desk. It was slender and graceful of -line, and was made of a prismatic glass, which -caught the light and reflected it in many-hued -brilliance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[100]</span></p> - -<p>“Golly! Look at the sparkle!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“That’s our mascot—our luck piece,” the -clerk explained. “Odd thing, isn’t it? -You’re quite right about the sparkle—regular -rainbow effect, in fact. That’s why it fits the -Rainbow Mountain House, you see.”</p> - -<p>Poke wagged his head in his solemn -fashion. “I do see it. And it is—er—er—it -is mighty—er—er—appropriate.”</p> - -<p>But Varley was tugging at his sleeve. -“Oh, come along! A plate with a lot on it -would look still more appropriate.”</p> - -<p>Poke yielded to the pull. “There’s room -for more than one good thing in the world at -a time,” he remarked philosophically. “I’ll -be glad enough to eat, but that—that sparkler—say, -somehow it takes my fancy a lot.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you can sit down after lunch and -admire it,” Varley reminded him. “Just -now your first duty to yourself is to play an -engagement in the dining-room.”</p> - -<p>The Rainbow Mountain House was a very -comfortable, well-managed hotel, whose landlord -had a theory that people liked good -things to eat. His winter guests especially<span class="pagenum">[101]</span> -were likely to be blessed with vigorous appetites, -and he took especial pains not to disappoint -them. So, while the midday meal -was known as luncheon, it was, in fact, a -substantial repast, daintily served in the big, -sunny dining-room. Sam’s first glimpse of -the bill of fare made him glance swiftly, and -suspiciously, at Varley. A little lunch, forsooth! -Why, this was a dinner of half a -dozen courses. But Varley met the glance -blandly and with no recognition, apparently, -of the fact that it was suspicious. He was -entirely at his ease in presiding over the table -to which the boys had been conducted; and -what was more, he put his guests at their -ease.</p> - -<p>Truth to tell, the four had an excellent -time. All of them had been at still larger -and more pretentious hotels than the Rainbow -Mountain House, but always in company -with their elders; and this little party had -the agreeable tang of novelty and independence. -Varley kept the talk going briskly. -He told a story or two of his misadventures at -boarding-school. He added another of an -odd experience while traveling in Europe,<span class="pagenum">[102]</span> -but gave no hint of regarding himself as a -person of superior talents or attainments; for -quite as cheerfully he related some of the -amusing blunders into which he had been led -by ignorance of the ways of the country. -Then the other boys recalled tales to cap his, -so that, altogether, it was a very merry group -about the table.</p> - -<p>Finally the meal was over, and Varley -tipped the waitress with a practiced ease -which vastly impressed the observant Poke. -The four went out into the lobby, and found -chairs near the great fire. They were filled -with the comforting sense of ease and refreshment, -and nobody was disposed to suggest an -early start on the long tramp to town. It was -much better fun to toast before the fire and -watch the people come straggling in, some -from snow-shoe expeditions, others from -coasting. There was a pleasant murmur of -talk, with a deal of rippling laughter and a -subdued bustle, very restful and soothing to -the well-fed listener.</p> - -<p>Varley sauntered over to the desk. There -he paid the bill. The other boys saw him -draw a roll of notes from his pocket, pass one<span class="pagenum">[103]</span> -to the clerk, and stow away his change with -barely a glance at the silver.</p> - -<p>“Gee! but he’s well heeled!” Poke whispered -to Sam, admiringly.</p> - -<p>Sam nodded, but said nothing. It was -clear that Varley was well supplied with -spending money; but he was not moved to -comment on the fact.</p> - -<p>“Say! He knows how to do things up -brown!” Poke insisted.</p> - -<p>“Indeed he does!” Sam agreed heartily -enough.</p> - -<p>Poke stretched himself luxuriously. “This -is one bully place! I like everything about -it. Cracking good feed, wasn’t it? And that -shiny vase over there—— Say, somehow I -can’t keep my eyes off it!”</p> - -<p>“It is pretty.”</p> - -<p>“Pretty!” Poke’s tone was protesting. -“That’s a mild way to put it. I could sit -and look at it for an hour at a time.”</p> - -<p>Sam made no reply. He was watching -Varley, who was talking to the clerk, but -who finally wheeled, and returned to his companions, -smiling a trifle uncertainly.</p> - -<p>“I hope you won’t think I’m too much of a<span class="pagenum">[104]</span> -quitter,” he said, “but I may as well own up. -I don’t fancy that hike back. So I’ve made a -deal with that fellow to send us home in a -sleigh. We can start whenever we’re ready. -And—and I hope you won’t mind.”</p> - -<p>It was on the tip of Sam’s tongue to make -protest, but Step spoke first.</p> - -<p>“Mind? Not I! I’m not too proud to -ride—not by a long shot.”</p> - -<p>“Good! Then we’ll consider that settled,” -said Varley quickly.</p> - -<p>Poke shot a glance at Sam. “What did I -tell you about doing things up brown?” he -queried with a chuckle.</p> - -<p>Again Sam said nothing. As it happened, -it did not occur to him that he needed to say -anything.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[105]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE SHARK LECTURES</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The Shark was out of humor. He sat in -a corner of the club-room, glowering through -his spectacles at his fellow members, and quite -ignoring the chess-board on the table beside -him.</p> - -<p>Now, though the Shark had a brusque manner -and was often curt in speech, he really -was a fellow of even disposition, and seldom -became involved in disputes. One reason for -this, perhaps, was the circumstance, observed -by the philosophical Poke and by him communicated -to the rest of the club, that “it was -surprising how many things didn’t make any -difference to the Shark.” Athletic rivalries -did not excite him; school competitions, except -in his specialty of mathematics, ordinarily -had no interest for him; unless forced to do so, -he gave no heed to school politics. The other -members of the club might be in a fine state<span class="pagenum">[106]</span> -of mind over any of a dozen questions without -stirring the Shark perceptibly. So it was all -the more curious that this day, when his -friends appeared to be getting along in harmony, -the Shark was having a fit of the sulks -or the blues. He had been working over a -chess problem—working and growling, it must -be confessed—and having failed to reach its -solution, had pushed back the board and was -regarding the others darkly and with hostility.</p> - -<p>The club was in full session. Everybody -was there, with Sam Parker fully restored to -his old position of influence. A fortnight had -passed since the rescue of the injured woodsman -and Varley’s little lunch, two incidents -which had restored Sam’s relations with Step -and Poke and made easy his return to the -fellowship of the club. There it was understood -that Parker didn’t like to be joked about -runaway horses or mince pies, and these topics -being placed under taboo, things were going -much as they had gone in the days before -Mrs. Grant’s horse chose to bolt and before -Varley came upon the scene.</p> - -<p>Sam enjoyed the renewed companionship.<span class="pagenum">[107]</span> -It had needed a brief denial of it to realize -what it meant to him. So he had been as -little disposed to take offense as the others -had been to give it; and there had been -hardly a ripple of bickering anywhere until -the Shark, of a sudden, developed a case of -nerves and a yearning for squabbles.</p> - -<p>“You’re the most useless crowd!” he grumbled. -“Why don’t you do something? Why -don’t you get a move on? You’re loafing on -the job, every one of you!”</p> - -<p>There was a long silence after this outburst, -which took the others completely by surprise. -Finally Sam spoke.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you want to have us do?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, anything!”</p> - -<p>“But what is there to do?” Step inquired.</p> - -<p>“What is there to do?” the Shark echoed -scornfully. He sprang from his chair and -came forward. “Look here, all of you! You -make me tired! Why, right in this room a -while ago I heard Step going on about this -being the meanest, slowest, stupidest part of -the year.”</p> - -<p>“So it is,” Step insisted.</p> - -<p>“That’s what you said. There’s no skating,<span class="pagenum">[108]</span> -and the snow-shoeing and sleighing and coasting -are not worth having—wasn’t that your -argument?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sticking to it still.”</p> - -<p>“Bosh!”</p> - -<p>Then Poke took a hand. “Tell you what -it is, Shark,” said he. “Winter’s all right, in -its way; but you can get too much of a good -thing. It gets monotonous—leave it to you -if it doesn’t.”</p> - -<p>The Shark declined to commit himself. -“This gang is getting lazy. All it seems to -care for is to sit around and tell stories. -You’re as good for nothing as a lot of woodchucks -stowed away in a hole till spring -comes.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the woodchuck knows his business,” -quoth Step.</p> - -<p>“It’s mighty poor business, all the same, -for a pack of human beings.”</p> - -<p>Trojan Walker laughed softly. “Ha, ha! -If you’d like my opinion, Shark, getting mad -with the world because you can’t work out a -chess problem is worse business still.”</p> - -<p>The Shark whipped about to face him. -“Can’t work it out, can’t I? Huh! Much<span class="pagenum">[109]</span> -you know about it! I’ll show you now—no -I won’t, either; you wouldn’t understand.”</p> - -<p>“And you would? And that’s what makes -you so pleasant to all of us?”</p> - -<p>“Who wants to be pleasant to a crowd that -just sits around and talks about a city fellow -who happens to have more money than he -knows what to do with?”</p> - -<p>“What! You mean Varley?”</p> - -<p>“Course I do!”</p> - -<p>There was another pause before anybody -made answer to the charge. Two or three of -the boys glanced inquiringly at Sam, as if -they felt that here was a matter concerning -which it behooved him to speak. So Sam it -was who broke the silence.</p> - -<p>“Shark, what ails you, anyway? Varley’s -all right.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! So’s his money and the big -dinners it buys!”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“You heard well enough. You and Step -and Poke haven’t been talking about anything -for a week but that feed he gave you.”</p> - -<p>Step’s long arm shot out. He shook a -finger under the Shark’s nose.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[110]</span></p> - -<p>“You mean we’re toadying to him because -he treated us to lunch? Say that, straight -out, and I’ll smash you!”</p> - -<p>The Shark was a head shorter than the tall -Step, but he was in no mood to shrink from -controversy, vocal or physical. He bristled -belligerently.</p> - -<p>“You don’t dare do it! And you can’t -put words in my mouth!”</p> - -<p>“Take it back then!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take nothing back—that I’ve said.”</p> - -<p>A little voice seemed to whisper in Sam’s -ear that the Safety First Club was hardly -living up to its name. He caught Step’s -wrist, and drew the tall youth back. Then -he addressed the still bristling Shark.</p> - -<p>“I don’t like what you’ve said any better -than Step likes it. But I don’t intend to let -anybody get into a fight over it. It was a -bully good dinner we had, and I’m not -ashamed to say it was. You wouldn’t have -me lie about it, would you?”</p> - -<p>“N-no,” the Shark admitted.</p> - -<p>“And you wouldn’t expect me to pretend I -was ashamed of accepting Varley’s invitation?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[111]</span></p> - -<p>“Why—why, no.”</p> - -<p>“And I haven’t hinted you were sore because -you weren’t lucky enough to be there.”</p> - -<p>The Shark reddened to the roots of his hair. -“Anybody who says that——” he began hotly.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t said it,” Sam interposed -promptly. “Why haven’t I? Because I -know, and every other fellow here knows, it -isn’t true.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said the Shark, with a queer little -gasp, and a perceptible lessening of ferocity.</p> - -<p>Sam pressed his advantage. “Be sensible, -can’t you? I like Varley; so do most of the -others. For some reason you don’t. That’s -no excuse, though, for a general row. Varley -isn’t thrusting himself in here or——”</p> - -<p>“Huh! That’s just what he did do in the -beginning.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that was because he didn’t understand -the custom about outsiders. But he -was clever enough to guess visitors weren’t -the usual thing. You’ll notice he hasn’t -come here again.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Good reason!”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“I told him not to,” said the Shark grimly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[112]</span></p> - -<p>Sam stared at the spectacled youth. “You—you -said that—to his face?”</p> - -<p>“Sure!” said the Shark doggedly. “When? -Oh, three-four days ago. Where? On the -street, where we’d met, and where he’d -stopped me, and begun to hint about what a -smooth joint we had here, and how he’d like -to look in occasionally. Then I told him it -was a closed club. Why shouldn’t I tell him? -Fact, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Only with a fellow from out of -town, a stranger——”</p> - -<p>The Shark interrupted Sam. “Look here! -I don’t pretend to fancy Varley overmuch, -but there I was treating him just as I’d treat -the best friend I have. I let him have the -truth. It’ll save him a lot of embarrassment. -Besides, he isn’t what you’d call a stranger -any more. He’s staying in town right along, -and he’s going to school—no use trying to -put him off in a class by himself.”</p> - -<p>Sam frowned, but Poke spoke sharply.</p> - -<p>“Hang it, Shark, but you have messed -things! And after that cracking good dinner -he treated us to—geeminy, but I wish I -knew how we could even up things for that!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[113]</span></p> - -<p>“All right—go ahead and even them all -you please,” growled the Shark; then his tone -changed. “See here, you fellows! You’ve -got me started, and I’m going to free my -mind. I don’t like the way you’re behaving. -You’re quitting on the job, the bunch of -you!”</p> - -<p>“Bully boy, Shark! Go it!” jeered the -Trojan.</p> - -<p>“I will! Listen! There isn’t one of you -that’s stirred a finger to win that history essay -prize. You mope around, and wail about the -weather and the snow and nothing to do, and -don’t even dream of trying to land that hundred -dollars. Can you deny that, Trojan? -Or you, Sam? Or you, Poke? Or Herman, -or Step or Tom Orkney?” He was shaking -an accusing hand at each of them in turn. -“All of you heard what the principal said. -Now hear what I say: It’s a shame and disgrace -to the club that you’re letting this -chance go by default.”</p> - -<p>“How about yourself?” Step demanded.</p> - -<p>“I’m out of it. My line’s different. I can -do things with figures, but not with words. -Two or three of you fellows write decently.<span class="pagenum">[114]</span> -Why don’t you pull together—it’s allowable, -under the rules—and gather in that hundred?”</p> - -<p>Nobody took upon himself the responsibility -of making reply.</p> - -<p>The Shark glanced from one to another. -His manner was still grim.</p> - -<p>“That’s right—think it over!” said he. -“Let it sink in. And don’t forget the rest of -the class is watching the club. I’ve had a -couple of nasty raps handed me about a gang -that put on a lot of side, yet didn’t have sand -enough to make good at anything requiring -real work.”</p> - -<p>“Who said that?” asked Sam.</p> - -<p>“Never mind! It was said—said to me.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard something of the sort,” said -Tom Orkney quietly.</p> - -<p>Two or three of the others stirred uneasily; -it was to be inferred that they, too, had been -reminded of the club’s inactivity.</p> - -<p>The Shark picked up his cap.</p> - -<p>“Well, I feel better,” quoth he. “I’ve got -the thing off my chest. I’ve got to cut along -now, but you fellows can mull over what I’ve -told you. The lecture’s over; but it’s up to<span class="pagenum">[115]</span> -you to show whether or not it’s going to do -any good.”</p> - -<p>With that he walked out of the room, leaving -a group whose members seemed to be of -diverse opinions about his views. Step declared -that it was hopeless to attempt to win -the competition; Herman and the Trojan were -uncertain; Orkney inclined to the idea that -the attempt would be worth making.</p> - -<p>Poke, his face puckered and his air a bit -mysterious, drew Sam aside.</p> - -<p>“Look here! The Shark has sure chucked -the fat in the fire!” he whispered. “Say, -we’ve got to do something!”</p> - -<p>“Umph! I don’t believe the bunch of us -can do much,” Sam objected.</p> - -<p>“I’m not talking about the prize. It’s -Varley I’m worrying about. Don’t you see, -after the crack the Shark made to him, we’ve -just got to wipe out the obligation for that -dinner?”</p> - -<p>“I wish we could! Only I don’t see -how——”</p> - -<p>Poke broke in, his manner more mysterious -than ever. “Hold your horses, Sam! You -watch me! No; I can’t lisp a word, but<span class="pagenum">[116]</span> -maybe—well, there’s a chance your little old -uncle will be able to square accounts and put -us all on Easy Street, Shark or no Shark. -How? Can’t breathe a syllable about it—now. -Just watch and wait—that’s all you’ll -have to do, Sam!”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[117]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">POKE’S MYSTERY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Ordinarily, Sam might have thought little -of Poke’s mysterious hint, for Poke’s fancy -was lively at times, but the bearing of that -well-fed youth continued to suggest consciousness -of a great secret. Now and then he -winked craftily at Sam, or wagged his head -portentously, or shook with glee at thoughts -he was not ready to confide to his friends. -Observing which things, Sam meditated and -wondered, and gained no clew to the mystery.</p> - -<p>Sam, though, had plenty of other interests -to claim his attention. The Shark, after his -outburst at the club, had resumed his manner -of indifference. He neither repeated his -criticisms of his mates nor displayed dislike -for Varley, but went his own way in his old -fashion. It was evident, however, that what -he had said about the club and the prize -essay had not fallen on wholly deaf ears. -Herman Boyd and the Trojan came to Sam to<span class="pagenum">[118]</span> -inquire if he really believed there would be a -chance to carry off the honor, and Tom Orkney -put the same question still more earnestly.</p> - -<p>“It does seem as if we ought to have a try at -it,” he said. “The Shark was more than half -right about the—the—well, about the ‘laying -down’ business. And if you think there’s a -show for any of us, it looks as if the club -should get busy.”</p> - -<p>“Some of the other crowds talking?” Sam -queried shrewdly.</p> - -<p>Orkney nodded. “I’d be likeliest to hear -it—last fellow in the club, you know. So I’m -told things that might not be said directly to -the rest of you.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of things?”</p> - -<p>“Well, that the club flocks by itself, and -puts on airs, but never amounts to much when -it comes to a pinch; that it never gathers in -any prizes except the mathematical ones, and -they’re just the Shark’s meat; that here’s a -big prize we won’t get because no one in the -crowd has the sand to make a fight for it.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly!” said Sam. He was quite aware -of the jealousies due to cliques in a school, and -more than once had noted some very open<span class="pagenum">[119]</span> -fishing for an invitation to join the Safety -First Club. Also, when the angling had resulted -in failure, there had been, generally, an -increase in the unfavorable comment about -the club by critics who didn’t belong to it.</p> - -<p>Orkney coughed a little dubiously. “Ahem, -ahem! Of course, all that sort of thing is -plain yapping, but, all the same, I’d like to see -us getting into this game. If I could do anything -to help—say, though, I’m no use when -it comes to writing. But in digging for facts, -I’ll be ready to hold up my end. And facts -are what are going to count. And there’s -nothing to prevent the crowd pulling together—the -prize essay doesn’t have to be one person’s -work. Why, two or three of the girls -have teamed up, and make no bones about it. -The principal told ’em it was allowable, especially -since the person who is putting up the -hundred dollars really wants to get data on -the town’s settlement and early history, and -regards this plan as merely a way of securing -assistance he is glad to pay for.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, it’s my notion some of the girls -will win,” declared Sam. “They’re better -pluggers—more persistent—than the fellows.<span class="pagenum">[120]</span> -Besides, the composition will count for something—can’t -help counting—and that’s where -they’ll do better work.”</p> - -<p>“Then you’re against our going in?”</p> - -<p>Sam protested. “No; I’m not. Only I -don’t think any of us would have a living -chance. But if any of you fellows want to sail -in, I’ll wish you all the good luck there is. -Still, short of finding the lost diary of Dominie -Pike——”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” Orkney interrupted. He -was comparatively a newcomer, and still had -many of the town’s traditions to learn.</p> - -<p>“Dominie Pike was the first minister,” Sam -explained. “He came with the very earliest -of the settlers—some people say he himself -was the very first. He kept a diary, and put -in it everything of interest that happened to -himself or his neighbors, and all their dealings -with the Indians——”</p> - -<p>“Indians?”</p> - -<p>“Of course! There was quite a powerful -tribe here. Dominie Pike was great friends -with them, and there are lots of stories about -that part of the town’s history—trouble prevented -by the Dominie, you know. No doubt<span class="pagenum">[121]</span> -they’re all in the diary, but nobody knows -what happened to the diary. Folks have -found many references to it in old letters, -showing that people knew about it, and had -read it, or parts of it, anyway. Then it seemed -to disappear. The Historical Society has -hunted for it high and low, but never has got -a trace of it.”</p> - -<p>Orkney whistled softly. “My! But I wish -we could come across it! It would just fill the -bill.”</p> - -<p>“It would,” said Sam drily, and left Orkney -to meditate ways and means of accomplishing -what so far the town had found to be impossible -in the matter of tracing the lost diary of -the old minister.</p> - -<p>Their talk, however, had given Sam food -for thought. It would be a fine thing for the -club to score in the competition. But, also, -it would be pleasing to find a way to square -the account with Varley. Sam, casting about, -hit upon a plan or two, which failed to work -out satisfactorily. His mother listened willingly -enough to hints that he would like to -have a party, but showed an inclination to -make it a general entertainment for the girls<span class="pagenum">[122]</span> -and boys of his acquaintance, which by no -means met his approval. Sam’s notion of the -proper thing was a small and strictly masculine -gathering, at which Varley could be the -guest of honor.</p> - -<p>Of Varley, as it happened, he was seeing very -little. Paul was regularly attending school, -but he was formally enrolled as a Senior, and -thus seemed to gravitate naturally into association -with the boys of the last year. When he -encountered Sam or any of the other members -of the Safety First Club, he appeared to be -quite at ease and untroubled by any thought -of the breach he had unwittingly made in their -rules; but Sam noticed—or thought he noticed—a -disposition on Varley’s part not to -seek his society, even if there was no effort to -avoid it. He had no doubt that the Shark’s -frankness had enlightened Varley about the -club’s ban on uninvited guests; and his respect -grew for a fellow who could “carry it -off so well”—as he phrased it—a situation -which Sam himself found most embarrassing.</p> - -<p>Poke, meanwhile, was getting a deal of enjoyment -out of his mysterious secret, which, -at last, he seemed to have shared with his<span class="pagenum">[123]</span> -especial crony, Step; for the latter, of a sudden, -became as excited as Poke himself. The -pair had conferences and conferences, with -much chuckling and whispering and rib-nudging. -And then, one day, both came to -Sam to make an amazing announcement.</p> - -<p>Poke was in funds. Fortune had made -him affluent. He proposed to bid his friends -share his prosperity. Also he proposed to -even the score with Paul Varley.</p> - -<p>Sam was practical. Where had the money -come from?</p> - -<p>Poke explained gleefully. An elderly and -well-to-do aunt had made him a present of -twenty-five dollars. By certain miracles of -good behavior he had won parental permission -to spend the windfall as he pleased.</p> - -<p>“Now I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,” -Poke went on. “I’m going to take the whole -club and Varley out to the Rainbow Mountain -House, and give ’em a bang-up good -dinner. We’ll make it a hike out and back, -with the feed in between. Great notion, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s see your cash!” said Sam bluntly.</p> - -<p>Poke produced a roll of bills with a flourish. -“There! Count ’em if you want to.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[124]</span></p> - -<p>Sam took advantage of the permission.</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s twenty-five, all right,” he admitted, -as he returned the bills.</p> - -<p>“Sure it is! And twenty’ll pay for the -dinners for the crowd. Oh, I’ve found out. -I’ve been doing a lot of telephoning out to -the hotel, and everything’s arranged for next -Saturday.”</p> - -<p>“Invited Varley yet?”</p> - -<p>“No; I’m waiting to hear what you have -to say.”</p> - -<p>Sam took thought. “It—it’s a good deal -for you to blow in, Poke.”</p> - -<p>Poke waved a lordly hand. “Oh, easy -come, easy go, Sam. Hang the expense!”</p> - -<p>“You’ve been talking about this?”</p> - -<p>“A lot—to Step. He thinks it’s a great -idea.”</p> - -<p>Sam was not surprised by this information; -nor was he greatly impressed. “I was thinking -of your folks.”</p> - -<p>“They don’t mind. That part’s all right—honest!”</p> - -<p>Still Sam hesitated; noting which, Poke -went on, eagerly:</p> - -<p>“Come now! You know how the thing<span class="pagenum">[125]</span> -is. We ought to do something for Varley -and——”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. Only all of us ought to chip -in.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! He did it alone, and I’m going -to do it alone. But it’ll count for the -whole club. And we ought to get square -with him, hadn’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Y-yes.”</p> - -<p>“Then let’s do it!” cried Poke triumphantly. -“I’ll ask Varley to-day. Better, -hadn’t I?” he concluded, of a sudden, questioning.</p> - -<p>There was a brief pause. Then said Sam, -slowly and half-reluctantly: “Why—why—yes, -I guess so.”</p> - -<p>“Then it’s as good as done!” quoth Poke, -and departed in search of the proposed guest -of honor.</p> - -<p>The youthful code is usually simple but -exacting. “Pay your debts” stands close to -the head of its list of rules. Instinctively -Sam doubted the success of Poke’s undertaking—things -had a way of happening unexpectedly -to Poke. Still, he saw no sound -reason for interfering with the plan to restore<span class="pagenum">[126]</span> -the balance between the Safety First Club and -Paul Varley. He would have preferred himself -to be the host, but as that might not be, -he yielded the place to his plump friend.</p> - -<p>Varley accepted the invitation. He would -be delighted to go to Poke’s dinner, and he -said so.</p> - -<p>The attendance of all the club’s members -was taken for granted; and all were promptly -at the meeting-place on Saturday morning. -The sun was shining, the air was fine and bracing, -and the snow was in excellent condition. -The party set out on the tramp in high spirits, -taking a somewhat roundabout course to the -hotel, but passing close to the house of the -injured woodsman. There they halted briefly -to make inquiry as to his condition, and were -told that he was convalescing satisfactorily.</p> - -<p>They brought noble appetites to the feast, -and even the doubtful Sam was forced to -admit to himself that Poke had arranged -matters very well, indeed. A private dining-room -was set aside for the youthful visitors; -the quite ample bill of fare had been lengthened -with especial attention to their tastes. -Poke beamingly presided at the head of the<span class="pagenum">[127]</span> -table, with Varley at his right and Sam at his -left. Poke, in fact, was having the time of -his life, and when the others called upon -him for a speech, he made one willingly -enough.</p> - -<p>“Tell you, fellows, I’m awfully glad all of -you could come,” said he. “Seemed to me -it would be a bully idea to—er—er”—he -paused, of a sudden reminded that one may -not eulogize one’s own hospitality—“er—er—that -is, we ought to do something to—er—er—to -break the monotony. Stupidest part of -the year, you know. Anything for a little -variety. Of course, I might have done other -things, but it struck me the crowd would like -a square meal——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we needed it!” the Trojan put in in -a stage whisper.</p> - -<p>Poke reddened. “Say, I didn’t mean that, -and you know it! All of you get plenty to -eat; so do I. Only we don’t have the chance -to eat together; and I knew this was a cracking -good place. So here we are! And I’d -like to know if anybody has anything to say -against it?”</p> - -<p>“Not a word!” cried the Trojan.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[128]</span></p> - -<p>“Go on, Poke!” Herman Boyd encouraged.</p> - -<p>“Sure! Give the boy orator his head!” -grinned Sam.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got ’em going, Poke—don’t let -up!” “Hit us again—we haven’t got any -friends!” “My, but isn’t he the silver-tongued -spell-binder!” There was a medley -of shouts; Poke shook his fist in mock defiance.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t much more to say, and I’ll -make short work of it. You fellows are all -right, though you might know a lot more -than you do. Oh, I’m the same way—I admit -it. But I know enough to stop when -I’m through. So that’s why I’m going to say -again that I’m glad you’re here, and sit down.”</p> - -<p>There was lusty clapping of hands. Then -Varley rose, his glass in his hand.</p> - -<p>“I propose,” he said, “the very good health -of Poke Green. Long may he wave!”</p> - -<p>They drank the toast in sparkling spring -water, and drank it with enthusiasm. Then -there were other toasts to Varley, to Sam, to -the rest of the party; all to the general satisfaction -and the especial delight of Poke. He<span class="pagenum">[129]</span> -was beaming more broadly than ever when -they filed out of the dining-room and into -the big lobby. There was just a bit of a -swagger in his walk, as he strolled up to the -desk, and pulled out his pocketbook.</p> - -<p>The clerk, catching the spirit of the occasion, -made a little ceremony of making out -the account and presenting Poke with the -receipt. Also he expressed the hope that -the dinner had been to the satisfaction of the -guests.</p> - -<p>“It was a corker!” quoth Poke, and thrust -his change into a pocket. Then, perhaps suspecting -that he had displayed unsophisticated -warmth, he turned hastily. The tall vase of -prismatic glass, which had held his admiration -on his first visit to the hotel, caught his eye.</p> - -<p>“Say, isn’t that a peach of a shiner!” he -exclaimed to Step, who happened to be nearest -him.</p> - -<p>“Eh?” Step appeared to be in doubt of -his meaning.</p> - -<p>Poke, impatiently and with the awkwardness -of embarrassment, under the clerk’s gaze, -threw out a hand.</p> - -<p>“Why, there——” he began, but broke off<span class="pagenum">[130]</span> -abruptly. The gesture had been more violent -than he realized. His hand struck something -smartly—and the something was the tall shaft -of the vase.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” he gasped, and made a desperate -effort to avert the disaster. But he was too -late.</p> - -<p>The vase swayed. Then, seeming to slip -through his hands, it fell from its standard, -and striking the floor with a mighty crash -was splintered into a score of pieces.</p> - -<p>Step, with a howl of alarm, sprang back. -The others came running up to see what had -happened. Poke, though, stood like one -rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the -glittering fragments.</p> - -<p>The clerk hurried from behind the desk. -His expression was serious, but he spoke -quietly, with no raising of his voice.</p> - -<p>“It’s too bad. An accident, of course, but -an unfortunate one.”</p> - -<p>Poke found tongue. “I don’t see how I -hit it. I was just trying to point to it, and -bang! I was into it, and it was smashing on -the floor! I never dreamed of—of—of making -such a wreck.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[131]</span></p> - -<p>“I presume not,” said the clerk in his -quiet fashion. Then with a change of tone -he addressed a bell-boy: “Clear up this mess—at -once.”</p> - -<p>Instinctively Poke was fumbling in his -pocket. “The damage—how much? If -you’ll tell me, I’ll——”</p> - -<p>“Oh, there is no hurry,” said the clerk. -“I shall have to refer the whole matter to -the proprietor, who is away for a few days.”</p> - -<p>“Then I can’t settle it now?”</p> - -<p>The corners of the man’s mouth twitched, -but his speech was matter-of-fact.</p> - -<p>“No; a case like this must be referred to -the proprietor. I’m sure I don’t know what -view he may take of it, or of the—ah—ah—the -question of responsibility. We have your -name and address, you understand; he can -communicate with you if he desires to do so.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Poke weakly. He was half -rejoiced by the delay, half frightened by the -hint of written claim for damages. “Oh! -Then there’s nothing to be done now?”</p> - -<p>“Not a thing!” said the clerk crisply; and -retired to his place behind the desk.</p> - -<p>Poke turned unhappily to his friends, but<span class="pagenum">[132]</span> -none of them had comfort to offer in this -sudden and unfortunate turn in affairs.</p> - -<p>“I—I suppose we might as well start for -home,” he said drearily. “I—I guess the -sooner we’re out of here, the better.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[133]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">SAM GETS A REMINDER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The disastrous sequel to Poke’s dinner party -was the chief topic of talk among the Safety -First Club, with Poke himself in a state of -mind which can be more easily imagined than -described. The breaking of the big vase was -due to him. He had had not the slightest intention -to break it, but this did not alter the -bitter fact. He was responsible for the fall of -the vase. Like the honest fellow he was, he -accepted the responsibility—and wondered -much how he was to meet it.</p> - -<p>What had been the value of the vase? -Not a member of the club could enlighten -him. Varley, approached as one of wider -knowledge, declined to venture an opinion.</p> - -<p>“It may have cost a lot, or it may have -been very cheap,” he said. “Unless you’re -an expert, you can’t tell.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the way with a lot of things in<span class="pagenum">[134]</span> -this world!” groaned Poke, and sought the -Shark, as an expert in mathematics, at least.</p> - -<p>The Shark gave him little comfort. He -was more than ready to undertake a calculation -of the possible value of the vase, based -on the cost of a bit of cut-glass, owned by his -mother, of the price of which he happened to -be aware. But though he made most careful -estimates of the height of the vase, he soon -came to difficulties.</p> - -<p>“Look here, Poke!” said he. “I can -arrive at an approximation of the volume of -the thing, but how does the price increase in -comparison with the size? Arithmetical or -geometrical progression? If it’s arithmetical, -it’ll be bad enough; but if it’s geometrical—whew!”</p> - -<p>Poke was aghast. “You—you mean it’d -mount up to—to—hundreds of dollars?”</p> - -<p>“Hundreds? Rats! Thousands!” snapped -the Shark. “Just you wait till I get it in -black and white—on estimates, of course. I -can’t pretend to get exact results when I’ve -no precise data to work on.”</p> - -<p>But Poke didn’t wait. Instead, he fled; -and seeking out his especial crony, Step,<span class="pagenum">[135]</span> -confided to him that he believed he was -doomed to be a bond-slave for life.</p> - -<p>“You see, I’ve got to work it off myself,” -he explained. “When the folks said I could -have the party, they made it a condition that -there mustn’t be any rough pranks—any -breaking things, you know. And I promised -there shouldn’t be. And there wasn’t—everybody -behaved like a gentleman—till I went -smashing into that show-piece. I haven’t -told ’em at the house—yet; I’ll never tell -’em if I can possibly help it.”</p> - -<p>“Sure you won’t,” quoth the sympathetic -Step. “No fellow likes to ’fess up when the -joke’s on him.”</p> - -<p>“The joke!” roared Poke. “Great Scott, -but you’ve got a mighty queer notion of -what’s funny! You’d like to see a house fall -on a fellow.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come now! I didn’t mean to hurt -your feelings,” pleaded Step.</p> - -<p>“You can’t hurt ’em worse than they’re -already hurt,” groaned Poke, of a sudden -dreary again.</p> - -<p>He went away, so downcast and so unlike -his normally cheerful self that Step was<span class="pagenum">[136]</span> -stricken with fear for him, tinged with remorse -for his own lightsome treatment of the -subject. And, being thus burdened in soul, -he had an inspiration. He happened to know -where some old catalogues of city department -stores were gathering dust in an attic. These -volumes, brought to light and consulted, -offered hope. Step carried them to Poke.</p> - -<p>“Look here!” he said. “Maybe ’twon’t be -so fierce, after all. Here’s a whopping big -vase—I guess it’s taller than the one at the -hotel. And it’s priced at only $3.98. There’s -a picture of it.”</p> - -<p>Poke eagerly inspected the cut. Then his -face fell.</p> - -<p>“’Tisn’t the same shape,” he objected.</p> - -<p>“Well, no—not exactly the same,” Step -confessed. “There is a little difference.”</p> - -<p>“A little difference! Just about as little as -there is between your shape and mine!”</p> - -<p>It was not an unhappy comparison. Poke -was short and plump; Step was tall and slender. -There was a like variance between the -somewhat jug-like ornament depicted in the -catalogue and the graceful vase which had stood -on the desk of the Rainbow Mountain House.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[137]</span></p> - -<p>“All right; have it your way if you want -to,” Step agreed.</p> - -<p>Again Poke studied the illustration. -“What’s more, this one’s made out of different -stuff. It doesn’t look like glass.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t say it was.”</p> - -<p>Poke shut the book with a bang of temper. -“You didn’t say anything sensible.”</p> - -<p>Then Step revolted at this ingratitude. -“Look here, Poke, that’s carrying your -grouch too far! Wasn’t I trying to help -you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know you mean well,” Poke -groaned.</p> - -<p>“And wasn’t I doing you a favor? Don’t -you want to be posted? Here’s a whopping -big thing you can get for $3.98. That’s -worth knowing if they try to come any funny -business on you.”</p> - -<p>Poke cheered a trifle. “Say, there’s something -in that.”</p> - -<p>“You bet there is! And when you come -down to brass tacks, a vase is a vase.”</p> - -<p>Poke did not deny the proposition. “Yes; -that’s so. Still——”</p> - -<p>“And you know where you’re at.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[138]</span></p> - -<p>“But that’s just what I don’t.”</p> - -<p>“Of course you do!” Step said impatiently. -“You’re getting a line on what vases cost—some -vases, that is. And—er—er—‘Knowledge -is power,’ you know,” he concluded with -sudden solemnity.</p> - -<p>“I suppose that’s so,” Poke admitted dubiously. -“Only I don’t see——”</p> - -<p>The fire of imagination blazed in Step—somehow -it kindled readily when these two -chums were in consultation.</p> - -<p>“Crackee! But I’ve got an idea, Poke—best -ever! Don’t you wait for the hotel folks -to do something. Do something yourself, and -do it first!”</p> - -<p>“What can I do?” Poke asked helplessly.</p> - -<p>“That’s easy. You owe ’em for a vase. -Send ’em one.”</p> - -<p>“What! One of the three-ninety-eight -kind?”</p> - -<p>“How much money have you got?” Step -demanded bluntly.</p> - -<p>“Oh, ten dollars or so—that is, by scraping -everything together I can raise that much.”</p> - -<p>“Then make it a ten-dollar one—best you -can find for the money. Ship it to ’em with<span class="pagenum">[139]</span> -a nice note—you know the sort: you greatly -regret the accident and you’re making haste -to replace the property destroyed. They’ll -read it, and they’ll see the new vase, and -they’ll say, ‘Well, there’s a boy who means -to do the right thing; we can’t be too hard on -him. Guess we’d better call it quits.’ And -there you are! What more could you ask?”</p> - -<p>Poke was blinking like one dazzled by the -prospect. “I—I—say, wonder if the thing -would work?”</p> - -<p>“How can you tell till you try?”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. Only——”</p> - -<p>“Hang it, ‘only’ never got anybody anywhere!” -Step expostulated.</p> - -<p>“Maybe not.”</p> - -<p>“It surely never did,” Step insisted.</p> - -<p>Poke evidently was half-persuaded. “It’s -a great scheme—I’ll say that for it. So I -guess I—I’ll——”</p> - -<p>“You’ll do it right off?”</p> - -<p>“No; I guess I’ll ask Sam’s advice.”</p> - -<p>Step’s face fell. “Oh, if you haven’t any -mind of your own——”</p> - -<p>“I’ve mind enough to know Sam’s got -more hard sense,” said Poke firmly. And to<span class="pagenum">[140]</span> -Sam he went, forthwith, laying before him -Step’s plan and admitting his own liking for -it.</p> - -<p>Sam listened patiently, but shook his head -when the tale was told.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a case of the -Safety First rule,” he said. “Your selection, -Poke, might not please the hotel people. And, -of course, we’re all at sea about the value. No; -better wait till you hear from them.”</p> - -<p>“But the suspense—it’s awful!”</p> - -<p>“It won’t kill you. Besides, very likely—that -is, there’s a chance—nothing’ll happen. -Varley seems to think it may work out that -way, and the Rainbow Mountain House will -just charge the item to profit and loss, or -breakage, or whatever they choose to call it.”</p> - -<p>“That’d be too good luck to come true,” -objected Poke, but he went away more or -less comforted by the suggestion, nevertheless. -Certainly, the hotel management was in no -haste to send its bill. Step maliciously hinted -that the delay meant merely a heavier charge -in the end, but Poke’s spirits began to revive -as day followed day, and there was no word -from Rainbow Mountain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[141]</span></p> - -<p>His cheerfulness increased in spite of adverse -weather conditions. With the lengthening -days and the sun higher in the heavens, -the snow should have been shrinking seasonably, -but the sunny days were few, and -between them came other days, in which the -white flakes fell heavily. In the town great -banks showed on the north side of buildings, -while the mounds along the sidewalks grew -grimy and icy with alternate melting and -replenishing. From the country roundabout -came stories of extraordinary depth of snow -in the woods and in sheltered hollows. Old -residents were shaking their heads and recalling -tales of spring floods. A heavy rain -and a sharp rise in temperature would mean -streams over their banks and perhaps a deal of -damage by floods swelled by the melting snow.</p> - -<p>The boys were not worrying about such -possibilities. They were eager for the coming -of warmer weather.</p> - -<p>“We’ve had enough of winter this trip,” -the Trojan declared, and the others approved -the sentiment. Even the Shark fell into line, -although he insisted that this winter was -doubtless very like other winters, and began<span class="pagenum">[142]</span> -to collect statistics to prove his contention. -Presently he had some neat tabulations, with -averages of snowfall and temperature carried -out to four places of decimals, and was devoting -a fair share of his leisure to efforts to -secure an audience while he pointed out a -number of popular errors the figures revealed.</p> - -<p>So the days went by, and the weeks, tranquilly -enough for the club. Sam was studying -hard. Once or twice he “did” a lesson -with Varley, being glad of the chance, indeed, -to keep in touch with the older boy.</p> - -<p>Varley made no reference to his unintentional -breach of the rules of the Safety First -Club, nor did he give a hint that the Shark -had enlightened him about his blunder. Sam -appreciated his reticence. Apology would -have been awkward for both of them. Varley -was taking care to keep away from the club, -and ignoring the earlier incident seemed to -be the easiest and best way to deal with the -situation.</p> - -<p>Without coming to intimacy, Sam and Paul -got on very well together. Neither sought -the other out frequently, but, as has been said, -they studied in company now and then, and<span class="pagenum">[143]</span> -often strolled along together, when they met -on the street. So it came about that Varley -was a witness of Sam’s next meeting with the -grateful Mrs. Grant, and played his part in -bringing about the events which followed that -encounter.</p> - -<p>A sleigh turning from the beaten track and -pulling up beside the deeply buried curb; a -beckoning hand; a cheerful voice calling -briskly—these were the circumstances under -which Sam became aware that speech with -him was desired, and recognized Mrs. Grant. -Touching his cap, he stepped as near the -sleigh as the banks of snow permitted. Much -of the old chagrin because of the lady’s -effusive and public thanks for his services had -worn away; and since the reconciliation with -his mates of the club there had been times -when he regretted that he had not been more -responsive.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant, plainly, had been on a shopping -tour; for the sleigh was piled high with packages. -She beamed upon Sam, and stretching -out a gloved hand, shook his very heartily.</p> - -<p>“Now, this is what I call luck!” she exclaimed. -“I was just wondering where I<span class="pagenum">[144]</span> -could find you, and then, quick as a wink, -there you are! My, but it’s funny how -things happen sometimes!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am,” said Sam. “And—er—er—how -do you do?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant chuckled. “Well, I guess I’m -bearing up amazing well, all things considered. -And I don’t see as you’re getting puny or -peaked yourself.”</p> - -<p>“No, ma’am.”</p> - -<p>Her eyes twinkled. “Te he! Didn’t know -but you were pining for that mince pie I -promised you.”</p> - -<p>Sam felt his cheeks burn. “I—I—oh, I -didn’t mind,” he said confusedly.</p> - -<p>“But I did,” said Mrs. Grant crisply. -“Somehow I like to keep my promises, and I -certainly did promise you that pie. When -are you coming to get it?”</p> - -<p>“Why—why——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be ready for you any time. Only the -sooner, the better.”</p> - -<p>“It—it’s very kind of you.” Sam said it -courteously, if a trifle brokenly. At the moment -his chief thought was to avoid betrayal -of his feeling in the matter of all mince pies,<span class="pagenum">[145]</span> -a feeling which, of a sudden, had grown to -loathing. But he had had his lesson of the -unwisdom of permitting a pie to start a -quarrel.</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll look for you—come now, let’s -see!” Mrs. Grant wrinkled her forehead -thoughtfully. “To-day’s Tuesday—um—um! -And to-morrow I’ve got to go over to the East -Village. Then Thursday’s sewing circle day. -But Friday—after your school’s out? You -can manage to come over to the farm easy -enough—why not?”</p> - -<p>“Why—why——”</p> - -<p>“Why, of course you can!” cried Mrs. -Grant energetically. “But I say!” Her -glance went to Varley, who had remained -modestly in the background. “Sakes alive, -but there’s the other boy! The one that tried -and didn’t; but he meant just exactly as well -as if he’d known how—you know what I’m -talking about, and that’s the time this foolish -horse bolted. Bring him with you, too.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be very glad to come,” said Varley -promptly.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant was eyeing him shrewdly. -“Shouldn’t wonder if we could show him<span class="pagenum">[146]</span> -some things,” said she. “He looks sort of -citified, and we’re country—real country—out -to Sugar Valley. But that reminds me—it’s -’most sugaring time now. ’Twill be, soon’s -we get a spell of warm weather to start the -sap running; and it’s my notion when winter -breaks, it’ll break quick. Come now! Never -seen ’em sugar-off, has he?”</p> - -<p>Varley saved Sam the trouble of making -answer. “Indeed I haven’t, but I’d like to.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Mrs. Grant, addressing him -directly, “I don’t know as we can show you -the sap running, and the kettles boiling by -Friday, but we can show you all the works. -We’ve got quite a lot of bush and——”</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon! Bush?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant laughed. “That’s just a name -for it—our name. You’d call it a grove, I -guess. And there’s an old house where we -keep the kettles—why, it’s quite an outfit, -when you see it all. And I reckon you’ll find -it mighty entertaining.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure I shall.”</p> - -<p>“Then that settles it—Friday it is!” she -said with decision, and turned again to Sam. -“I tell you what! We’ll make a regular<span class="pagenum">[147]</span> -party. Suppose you bring along half a dozen -of your chums—more, if you want to. Goodness -knows, our old house is big enough to -take you all in! And let’s see! You can -come out right after school, and we’ll have -dinner—it’ll be waiting for you. And I’ll get -that mince pie off my conscience. Then Mr. -Grant can take you down to the island—it -isn’t an island, really, but that’s what we call -it—and let you see the apparatus for making -maple syrup and sugar.” She turned swiftly -back to Varley. “You said it’d be all new to -you, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Every bit of it.”</p> - -<p>“Then I can count on you, too?”</p> - -<p>“It’s I that’ll do the counting! I wouldn’t -miss the trip for worlds!” cried Varley enthusiastically.</p> - -<p>His evident delight in the plan swept away -any lingering doubts Sam may have felt. It -wouldn’t be fair to spoil Varley’s pleasure because -of his own rather vague reluctance.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you may count on us, Mrs. Grant,” -he said. “And as for more fellows—well, I -know a crowd that’ll like to come, too. We’ll -be there—on time—Friday.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[148]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE BLOW DESCENDS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Sam had taken for granted that there would -be no parental objections to the expedition, -and in this he found himself a true prophet.</p> - -<p>Mr. Parker not only agreed to the plan, but -also showed approval of it.</p> - -<p>“A little outing will be good for you, Sam,” -said he. “You’ve been attending pretty -strictly to business lately, and it’s time for a -break in the routine. By the way, your good -conduct marks ought to be mounting up -handsomely.”</p> - -<p>Sam laughed. “Well, sir, I haven’t seemed -to have many chances to get into trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t looked for them very anxiously, -have you?”</p> - -<p>Sam’s eye met his father’s, and a trace of -red showed in the boy’s cheek.</p> - -<p>“Safety first, sir!” he said. “You know<span class="pagenum">[149]</span> -I’ve had that lesson taught me mighty thoroughly.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Parker studied his son closely for a -moment.</p> - -<p>“So? Well, I’m glad to hear the instruction -hasn’t been wasted.... But, tell -me! Find life robbed of a little of its spice, -eh?”</p> - -<p>Sam paused for thought before he answered; -the question was not one he could dispose of -lightly, especially when it had been put by -his father. There was a very good understanding -between father and son, but it had -not been arrived at without some grievous experiences -for the youth. On that account he -prized it the more, and desired to maintain it.</p> - -<p>“Sometimes it does seem as if a fellow -missed some fun, sir. I don’t know, though—mostly, -afterward, I can figure out that -everybody is better off because the thing -wasn’t done—the thing that seemed to promise -sport, I mean.”</p> - -<p>“But there are other things that promise -sport, and supply it, and harm nobody, aren’t -there?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[150]</span></p> - -<p>“And you’re beginning to discriminate?”</p> - -<p>Sam wriggled; he was by no means over-impressed -with his own sagacity.</p> - -<p>“Why—why, I try to discriminate—that’s -the very secret of our Safety First idea, isn’t -it? Of course, I make bulls—mistakes, I -mean—a lot of them.”</p> - -<p>“Then what?”</p> - -<p>“I try not to repeat them,” said Sam -simply. “I don’t know any better rule.”</p> - -<p>“There is none,” said his father decidedly. -“And, on the whole, you’ll find that if you -follow the rule, it still leaves plenty of good, -clean fun in life as well as a reasonable share -of adventure. Not that I imagine you’ll run -across much of the latter in Sugar Valley, -though!”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t very likely,” said Sam.</p> - -<p>“Well, Lon can drive you over,” said his -father. “The big sleigh will take you all in. -I’ll guarantee it, though I won’t do as much -for the sleighing. The snow has lasted unusually -long, but the season is now so late -that if it once begins to go, it will go very -fast.”</p> - -<p>“But there’s such a lot of it,” Sam objected.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[151]</span></p> - -<p>“There is an uncommon amount—that’s -true. I’ve seen late spring thaws, though, -when the greater the depth of snow, the -faster it seemed to vanish. Still, with the -amount we now have, it would need fast work -to clear the ground before Friday.”</p> - -<p>“That’s my notion, too, sir,” said Sam, -half regretfully. The truth was, he was in -two minds about the expedition. Considering -only his own preferences, he might have -chosen to stay at home; but there was Varley -to be taken into account, and Varley undoubtedly -was very desirous of seeing Sugar -Valley. The boys of the club, too, would like -to go. All of them said so, at once and -emphatically. So Sam held conference with -Lon Gates, who readily promised to have the -big sleigh ready; though he was far from an -optimist when the subject of the weather was -broached.</p> - -<p>“Take it this time o’ year, Sam,” he explained, -“and guessin’ on that’s like buyin’ a -pig in a poke, only more so. You see, everything’s -betwixt and between, same’s butter -that ain’t quite made up its mind whether to -come or not. And all the signs are mixed<span class="pagenum">[152]</span> -and confusin’. Why, jest t’other day I heard -two of the oldest inhabitants squabblin’ over -whether the groundhog really see his shadow -Candlemas day; and ’sfar’s I can find out the -most reliable goose-bones in town are actin’ -every which way except alike. But if you -insist on havin’ my forecast, personal-like, -I’m votin’ for a change in weather. I’ve got -a rheumaticky spot or two that’s been tunin’ -up lately; and there was a mighty funny -lookin’ sunset t’other night. Still, nobody -can tell. And if you’ll be ready for me Friday, -I’ll be ready for you.”</p> - -<p>Sam, thus advised, tried to study the -weather signs for himself. Thursday dawned -mild and calm, with a thin haze in the air -and a marked rise in temperature. The eaves -were dripping briskly when he started for -school, and when he came home for dinner, -the snow layer seemed to have shrunk amazingly. -Where foot travel was greatest the -sidewalks showed black and bare; puddles -formed in low places; the compacted and -leveled track of the sleighs grew dingier than -ever. Throughout the afternoon the same -conditions held, until with the coming of<span class="pagenum">[153]</span> -darkness the temperature dropped a trifle, -and a thin coating of ice formed on the little -ponds of snow-water.</p> - -<p>“Umph! What did I tell you? Weather -breeder!” was Lon’s oracular speech, when -Sam sought his opinion of the probabilities -for the morrow. But even Lon declined to -commit <a id="Ref_153" href="#BRef_153">himself</a> on the sort of weather which -might be expected. So Sam went to bed little -the wiser, and woke to find another day seemingly -much like that which had gone before, -still, warm and hazy, with the eaves dripping -more merrily than ever, the puddles bigger -and deeper, and the streets coated with a -slush, peculiarly damp and chilling in its -effect on shoe-leather.</p> - -<p>Sam splashed to school, to find that news -of his party had reached the principal, and -had won an unexpected favor—excuses for all -hands from attendance for the last period of -the day. The boon, it appeared, had been -secured by the Shark, who stood high in the -esteem of the head of the school, himself a -member of the mathematically inclined -brotherhood. It was thus possible to make -an earlier start than had been proposed for<span class="pagenum">[154]</span> -Sugar Valley. Lon, called up by telephone, -was agreeable to the change.</p> - -<p>“Sure I’ll be glad to get away,” he declared. -“Quicker I go, less I’ll be wonderin’ -if I ain’t a howlin’ idiot not to start on wheels -instead o’ runners.”</p> - -<p>“Then you think——”</p> - -<p>Lon cut short the inquiry over the wire. -“I think it’s the breakin’ up of a hard -winter, son. And that’s all I’m capable o’ -thinkin’ at once. Now, you’d better get busy—I’ve -got to.”</p> - -<p>Excused a little before noon, the boys hurried -home for final preparations for their outing. -Sam found Lon ready for him. He -climbed into the sleigh, and off they went, -stopping first to pick up Varley, and then -the Shark. Next they added Tom Orkney, -Herman Boyd and the Trojan to the party, -which now lacked only Poke and Step.</p> - -<p>“Try Step’s house first,” Sam suggested.</p> - -<p>Lon nodded, and chirruped to his horses, -which broke into a brisk trot, with much -splashing of water from the puddles along -the way. The sleighing certainly was going -fast, but so great had been the accumulation<span class="pagenum">[155]</span> -of snow that it promised to last out the day, -at least.</p> - -<p>“Say, Lon, why didn’t you bring a boat?” -the Trojan queried, as something very like a -dash of spray shot over the side of the sleigh.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Ark’d been nearer the bill, seein’ -the kind o’ load I’m freightin’,” Lon responded -promptly.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll find the brooks high,” Herman -Boyd put in.</p> - -<p>“Bankful and brimmin’ over,” quoth Lon. -“Maybe you fellows will have to get out and -wade before we get back.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll risk it,” cried Herman cheerfully.</p> - -<p>They turned a corner, and drew up before -the Jones house. Nobody was in sight about -the premises.</p> - -<p>Sam raised a lusty hail. “Oh, you Step! -Hi there! Hurry up!”</p> - -<p>There was no response. Sam called again, -still more loudly. The Trojan had the knack -of putting his knuckles to his mouth and -emitting a peculiarly shrill and penetrating -whistle. He blew it now, quite without result. -Then the crowd shouted in chorus.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[156]</span></p> - -<p>The kitchen door opened. A woman looked -out. She waved a hand toward the club-house, -which, as has been explained, stood in a corner -of the yard.</p> - -<p>“What the mischief——” Sam began, but -cut short his speech, and sprang to the ground. -Orkney followed him. One or two of the -others were about to imitate the example, but -Sam waved them back.</p> - -<p>“No; two of us are enough,” he said. “I -can’t guess what’s happened, but something -has. Orkney and I’ll find out. Come along, -Tom!”</p> - -<p>They hurried up the path to the club-house. -The door was ajar. Sam, by this time puzzled -and a bit alarmed, pushed it open, and -looked in, Orkney peering over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Both Step and Poke were in the room. -They were facing each other, though neither -appeared to be looking at the other. Poke -was slumped on a lounge in an attitude of -utter dejection, but Step might have posed for -a picture of absolute woe.</p> - -<p>At that moment even a stranger would -have understood how Clarence Jones came by -his nickname; for beyond denial he strongly<span class="pagenum">[157]</span> -suggested a step-ladder, and a step-ladder -folded hastily. As he had picked out the -lowest chair in the room, his knees seemed -to rise to a level with his ears, while his long -arms dangled till his hands rested limply on -the floor. His head sagged upon his breast. -His lips were moving, and from them came -mournful sounds.</p> - -<p>“Brace up, Poke!... Oh, brace up, -I say!... Pull yourself together!... -It’s certainly awful, but br-brace up, I tell -you!”</p> - -<p>Never was there more doleful encouragement; -but it served, at least, to give Sam -some clew to the mystery. It was Poke -who was in trouble. Convinced of this, at -least, he stepped into the room, and laid a -hand on Poke’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the row?” he demanded. -“Must be a big one to keep you two from -hearing the racket we raised outside.”</p> - -<p>Poke slowly raised his head. He stared at -Sam, vaguely, blankly. It was Step who spoke.</p> - -<p>“You—you brace up, Poke! And you—you -go away, Sam!... But don’t you -let it knock you out, Poke! Be a man!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[158]</span></p> - -<p>Sam turned to him. “If you’re going to -do the talking, talk sense!” he said sharply.</p> - -<p>Step waved his long arms tragically.</p> - -<p>“Sam, the worst has happened! Poke’s -got a letter!”</p> - -<p>“Well, what of it?” Sam asked sharply.</p> - -<p>“What of it! Why, when I came along -just now he had it.”</p> - -<p>“Of course he’d have it, if he’d got it. -Don’t be an idiot!”</p> - -<p>Step’s arms dropped rather more tragically -than they had been raised.</p> - -<p>“It—it’s spoiled everything for him. And -I don’t wonder. But I was trying to cheer -him up when you came blundering in.”</p> - -<p>“Queer cheering!” growled Sam. “And -much good you were doing him! Now cut -this foolishness and come along, both of you. -The crowd’s waiting outside with Lon, and -it’s time we were starting.”</p> - -<p>Poke broke his silence at that. “Oh, I -can’t go!” he groaned. “I—I’d have no -heart for it.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks! It’ll do you all the more good.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing can do him good,” croaked Step; -then added, rather contradictorily, if with the<span class="pagenum">[159]</span> -best of intention: “Brace up, Poke! Pull -yourself together! Nev—never say die!”</p> - -<p>Sam glanced from one to the other. Step -and Poke were close chums; the sorrows of -one were generally shared by the other. He -was satisfied that the present trouble was -really serious, though, as it happened, it did -not occur to him to hit upon a clew to the -mystery by recalling Poke’s mishap with the -big vase. To tell the truth, that incident had -rather slipped his mind with the passage of -time. Now, though, studying Poke, he observed -a crumpled sheet of paper clutched in -his hand.</p> - -<p>Sam bent down. By the exertion of some -force he took possession of the paper, Poke -resisting feebly. Smoothing the sheet, he ran -his eye down the typewritten page. And, as -he read, he whistled shrilly.</p> - -<p>The letter was from the Rainbow Mountain -House. It was signed by the proprietor himself. -Its tone was formal and businesslike.</p> - -<p>The writer explained the delay by the time -which had been found necessary to learn the -cost of replacing the vase. This point had -now been established.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[160]</span></p> - -<p>“‘We find that a duplicate can be obtained, -and invite your early attention to the matter,’” -Sam read aloud. “‘The expense will -be $175.’”</p> - -<p>Orkney echoed Sam’s whistle. Poke groaned -weakly. Step tore his hair.</p> - -<p>“One hundred and seventy-five dollars!” -Sam said very slowly. “‘We invite your -early attention to the matter!’ Wow, but -that—that’s a sockdologer!”</p> - -<p>“He can’t pay it!” cried Orkney. “It’s -too much. And if the thing was worth so -much, it ought to have been kept where it -would be safe.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” Sam agreed.</p> - -<p>Poke shook his head sadly. “I’ve got to -pay—I said I would.”</p> - -<p>“But <a id="BRef_160" href="#Ref_160">you can’t raise the money</a>. The whole -club couldn’t raise it.”</p> - -<div id="Ref_160" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i165.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center">“<a href="#BRef_160">YOU CAN’T RAISE THE MONEY</a>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p>“It isn’t the club’s job—it’s mine.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense. All of us were at the dinner.”</p> - -<p>“But all of you didn’t smash the vase. I -did that myself.”</p> - -<p>“And he hates to let his folks know,” Step -explained in a stage whisper. “You see, -things have been—er—er—they’ve been kind<span class="pagenum">[161]</span> -of piling up on him lately, and his folks—well, -they’re getting prejudiced.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Sam soberly. Then he paused, -and took thought. “Look here, Poke!” he -went on. “You, too, Step! I suppose that -letter came to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he found it when he came home from -school,” Step declared.</p> - -<p>“Well, it doesn’t have to be answered to-day. -You fellows have got to come along -with the rest of us.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I couldn’t!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we can’t!”</p> - -<p>Poke and Step both cried out in protest. -Sam’s face grew determined.</p> - -<p>“You’ll guess again about that! This is a -thing we’re all in, and the trip will give us -a chance to talk it over. And getting out -will do both of you a lot of good.”</p> - -<p>“But, Sam, there’d be no fun for us,” Step -argued. “We’d just be wet blankets on the -crowd and——”</p> - -<p>Now and then a leader has to assert his -leadership. Sam had not been head of the -Safety First Club without learning some of -the secrets of mastery. He shot a meaning<span class="pagenum">[162]</span> -glance at Tom Orkney, who understood, and -nodded approval.</p> - -<p>“Tend to Step, Tom,” Sam said curtly. -Then he himself caught Poke’s collar, dragged -that youth to his feet, and propelled him -toward the door. Close behind him came -Orkney, hauling along the struggling Step -and paying no attention to his vociferous -objections. And so down the path moved the -little procession, to the edification and amazement -of Lon and Varley, and the other members -of the club, thus recruited to its full -strength for the expedition to Sugar Valley.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[163]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE GREAT MINCE PIE OF SUGAR VALLEY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Being a youth in full possession of his faculties -and powers of observation, Paul Varley -understood perfectly that there was something -curious in the fashion in which Step and Poke -were loaded into the big sleigh; but he was -also shrewd enough to perceive that there was -no intention to let him into the secret. The -late comers had been hailed impatiently or -derisively, but Varley noted that none of the -questions as to the cause of their delay was -pressed. A nudge from Sam or Orkney, or a -sharp glance, or a muttered word seemed to -check inquisitiveness immediately. Paul saw, -and heeded, and guessed the truth, in part, at -least. Whatever might be amiss, the other -boys regarded it as something not to be revealed -outside the circle of the club. Satisfied -of this, he took care to help them along by -making talk.</p> - -<p>Varley had no difficulty in finding topics.<span class="pagenum">[164]</span> -The weather, the clouds, the rapidly melting -snow, the swollen streams they crossed—about -all these things he put many questions. The -boys, in turn, appealed to Lon. What did he -think of the prospects, anyway?</p> - -<p>Lon squinted at the gray sky, and then at -the sloppy road.</p> - -<p>“Well, ’less something breaks, we’re goin’ -to get there; and if harness and runners hold -out, we’re goin’ to get home again,” he declared. -“Dunno’s I’d call it exactly a pleasure -trip, but I guess we’ll pull through somehow, -as the molasses candy said to the sugar -bowl. Maybe it’ll be sleighin’, and then again -maybe it’ll be draggin’ through mud; but -we’ve got a good, husky team o’ hosses, and if -none of the bridges takes a notion to go floatin’ -down stream, we’ll manage. And further deponent -sayeth not.”</p> - -<p>“But is it going to rain?” Sam persisted.</p> - -<p>“Well, wind’s in the east. And if it stays -there long enough, squirrels and pickerel will -be classin’ alike in p’int o’ dampness.”</p> - -<p>“But is it going to stay there?”</p> - -<p>Lon clucked to his horses; then he glanced -at the sky again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[165]</span></p> - -<p>“Huh! I reckon so—sooner or later there’ll -be rain. How soon and how much? Huh! -Bein’ able to answer jest sech questions is how -old Noah went and got his reputation. And -he didn’t leave me his recipe for guessin’ right. -So I ain’t committin’ myself, sonny.”</p> - -<p>Varley laughed with the others; then gave -himself to a study of the weather conditions. -It was not a cheering prospect that met his -eye. All the winter brilliancy of the landscape -had faded; the great blanket of snow -covering the earth was now a very wet blanket -in fact and in appearance; the leafless trees -towered black and somber. Streams ran brim-full. -Where there were rapids, they showed -clear of ice, and along the smoother stretches, -where the break-up had not yet come, the -freshets poured along above the frozen layer -as well as below it.</p> - -<p>Varley began to appreciate what the “breaking -up of a hard winter” meant. He wondered, -indeed, that Sam and Lon should have -undertaken a trip on such a day, and then, -correctly enough, inferred that they were keeping -the engagement to visit Sugar Valley, because -there was no certainty that delay would<span class="pagenum">[166]</span> -bring better conditions. In spite of the slush -and the puddles, the big sleigh was making -very good time. Satisfied that Lon knew his -business, Paul quietly studied his companions. -Poke and Step were silent and subdued, but -the others were chatting briskly enough. He -suspected a bit of method in this, and jumped -to a conclusion that was not far from the mark. -Whatever was amiss with Step and Poke, the -club was treating it as a secret, not to be discussed -before even so sympathetic an outsider -as he was himself. To tell the truth, Paul -admired the new evidence of the strength of -the bond which held this group of chums. -As it happened, he had many friends but few -intimates; and sometimes he had longed for -just such close association as the Safety First -Club provided.</p> - -<p>For a time the road crossed ground with -which Varley had some slight acquaintance, -but then Lon turned sharply to the left and -toward the narrow cleft in the hills which -Sam once had pointed out to Paul as the entrance -to Sugar Valley. On close inspection the -pass was narrower even than it had appeared -to be from a distance. On both sides the<span class="pagenum">[167]</span> -rocky banks rose so steeply as to suggest cliffs, -while at their base flowed the Sugar River, a -considerable stream, at least in spring time. -It was spanned by two bridges, one a gaunt -steel structure carrying railroad tracks, the -other a covered highway bridge, of the old-fashioned -wooden construction. Both these -bridges were close to the mouth of the glen, -and their piers seemed half to fill the space -between the banks of the river. The water -was swirling merrily about the masonry, -against which from time to time little floes of -ice dashed with a fine crash; a ragged fringe -of fragments lined the banks; the air was full -of spray of a peculiarly chilly and penetrating -quality. The boys dug their chins into the -collars of their overcoats as the sleigh dragged -across the bridge.</p> - -<p>“Whew! Talk about your cold storage -plants!” cried the Trojan—and that was what -all of them thought.</p> - -<p>Then a twist in the road showed them that -the valley broadened widely, with ranges of -low hills on either hand. Near the river they -saw a series of natural terraces, which a fanciful -eye might have regarded as suggesting<span class="pagenum">[168]</span> -shallow benches of a great amphitheatre. The -hills were wooded, and so was part of the -lower ground, with dense swamp growth here -and there. The road hugged the base of the -hills to the left. Evidently it was much -traveled, though there were few houses in -sight. Lon offered explanation of this.</p> - -<p>“Big farms along here, mostly. Been -owned by the same families pretty nigh ever -since Adam and Eve came to the jumpin’ off -place. Don’t quite believe that, eh? Well, -then, I’ll compromise, and make it since the -white folks came into this deestrict. But -above here a piece there’s quite a settlement. -The Grants, though, belong down here in the -old settler class. Old Nahum Grant, he was -one of the fust white men to—— But, -hullo! There’s the house now!”</p> - -<p>The boys looked in the direction in which -his whip pointed. They saw a comfortable -farmhouse, big and roomy, and flanked by -huge barns. Then they were turning in at -the gate, and pulling up before the house, -and the door was opening, and Mrs. Grant, -more beaming than ever, was bustling out to -greet them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[169]</span></p> - -<p>“My soul and body! but it does me good to -see you all!” she exclaimed. “Take a mopey, -draggly day like this, and I didn’t know -whether you’d sorter back out about coming -way out here. But you didn’t—and there’s -quite a lot of you. My, my, but I’m tickled! -There haven’t been so many young folks at -the old place since I don’t know when!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am, we’re all here,” Lon made -answer. “That is, unless three-four fell out -of the sleigh a mile or two back. With a -load like this a feller really ought to stop -and take account of stock ’bout once in so -often.”</p> - -<p>“Bless me, if ’tain’t Lon Gates!” cried Mrs. -Grant delightedly. “I vow, but it’s a sight -for sore eyes!”</p> - -<p>“Same to you, ma’am, and three or four -times over!” Lon responded gallantly. Then -he surrendered the reins to a farm-hand, who -came from the barn, and stepped to the porch, -where Mrs. Grant was shaking hands with -the boys, duly presented in turn by Sam.</p> - -<p>Mr. Grant came out of the house to join in -the welcome to the visitors. He was a thin, -elderly man, with a wisp of gray whisker, a<span class="pagenum">[170]</span> -quiet manner, and an eye which had a humorous -twinkle. Then he and his wife shepherded -the party indoors.</p> - -<p>Paul Varley glanced about him curiously. -The low ceilings, the home-made rugs on the -floor, the kerosene lamps, the many rocking -chairs, the big horsehair covered lounge—these -things quite matched his expectations, -but there were other things which jarred -them. The piano in a corner of the great living-room -was a handsome instrument; the -gilded coils of a very modern steam radiator -suggested that the wide fireplace now served -ornamental rather than useful purposes. -There were thriving plants at the windows, -and on the center table lay a number of -magazines and illustrated weekly papers. -Against one wall stood a tall clock, which -drew Paul like a magnet. His father was -somewhat of a collector, and the son had -picked up some bits of information about -ancient timepieces. This one, unless he were -much mistaken, was very valuable.</p> - -<p>“My great-grandfather made that,” Mr. -Grant explained. “That is, he had it -made.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[171]</span></p> - -<p>“To order?” Paul asked.</p> - -<p>Mr. Grant chuckled softly. “It was very -much that way. A friend of his, who went -to England, brought back the works at his request. -Then a traveling cabinet maker and -jack-of-all-trades put the case together, according -to his ideas. Oh, yes, the journeyman -and journeying mechanic was an institution -of those days; he’d make you a chest of -drawers, or a table, or a clock case, or anything -else. So great-grandfather picked his -trees, and cut his lumber, and sawed his -boards, and had the wood thoroughly seasoned -when the jack-of-all-trades came around -to build just such a clock as he wanted.”</p> - -<p>Paul nodded. “It seems to have been -mighty good work, sir.”</p> - -<p>“That was a way they had,” said Mr. -Grant. “They didn’t have so many things -then that they could afford to put up with -slipshod work.” Then he turned to the -Shark, who had marched up to a framed -map, hanging near the clock, and was peering -at it through his spectacles.</p> - -<p>“There’s an odd heirloom, young man. -Know what it is?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[172]</span></p> - -<p>“Of course,” said the Shark crisply. “Relief -map—I’ve seen the big one of the whole -state in the capitol.”</p> - -<p>“Right! But this just shows Sugar Valley.”</p> - -<p>“So I see,” quoth the Shark quite as crisply -as before, and continued his study. The map -was like a carving, depressions being represented -by gouges in the wood of which it was -made, and tiny ridges showing the terraces -before one came to the greater elevation of the -bordering hills. The course of the river and -its tributary brooks could be very clearly followed. -The Shark ran a finger along one of -the curving levels, an action which caught the -attention of Mrs. Grant. Instantly she was -beside him.</p> - -<p>“Well, did you find any?” she demanded; -her tone was hardly tart, but it was tinged -with suspicion.</p> - -<p>“Of course I did,” said the Shark. “I -knew it’d have to be there.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon Mrs. Grant promptly caught his -hand and peered quite as closely at the tip of -the exploring finger as the Shark had peered -at the map.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[173]</span></p> - -<p>“Nonsense! There isn’t a particle!” she -cried indignantly.</p> - -<p>“There is,” said the Shark bluntly. “Feeling -is often more accurate than sight, and I -felt it distinctly.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant gasped. “Goodness gracious, -boy! Your mother must be one of those -miracle housekeepers to bring you up to -notice such things!”</p> - -<p>“Eh?” The Shark, in turn, was bewildered, -but luckily bethought him of his manners. -“Excuse me, Mrs. Grant, but—but we -can’t be talking about the same thing.”</p> - -<p>“I’m talking about dust!”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” There was relief in the Shark’s tone: -also there was a little impatience. “Dust -nothing! What do I care—er—er—I mean -I was pretty sure there was a minor water-shed -right there, but I had to feel to make -certain. The light, you know, is not very -strong; hence the chance of error of vision is -increased, and——”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant’s laugh cut him short. It, too, -betrayed relief.</p> - -<p>“Ha, ha, ha! And I thought, if there’d -been any error of vision, it must ’a’ been mine,<span class="pagenum">[174]</span> -when I dusted yesterday! And I don’t make -my brags about some things, but if anybody -can find dirt——”</p> - -<p>There she checked herself, and laughed -again. “Mercy me, boys, hear me run on! -But I’m like everybody else; I’ve got my -prejudices, and if you get me started—— There, -there! I’m starting, but I’m starting -myself. And what you’re really thinking -about, I’ll warrant, is dinner, for you’ll be -hungry as bears—or boys—after your ride. I -never could see much difference—between the -bears and the boys. Not that I knew any -bears real well, but I did get acquainted with -a lot of boys, and they’d act sometimes a good -deal the way folks say bears’ll take on, especially -about meal time. But ‘error of vision’—and -what was that other thing—‘minor -water-shed,’ wasn’t it? Somehow, the boys -I’ve known didn’t talk much about such -things.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s just the Shark’s way, ma’am,” -Sam hastened to explain. “You see he’s a -crackerjack at mathematics, and it’s all he -cares for. That’s why we call him the Shark—he -gobbles up problems so! And when he<span class="pagenum">[175]</span> -saw that funny map, he couldn’t help figuring -what it meant.”</p> - -<p>“He figured one thing correctly, at any -rate,” said Mr. Grant. “There is a water-shed -there, for there’s a spring, and the overflow -drains north.”</p> - -<p>“Well, there’ll be time enough for surveying -talk, or whatever you call it, after dinner,” his -wife interposed decidedly. “Come on, everybody! -The things are on the table.”</p> - -<p>The boys streamed into the dining-room, -and took the places their hostess pointed out. -Varley was again unobtrusively observant. -This room, like the other, was big and cheery, -with plants at the windows. A huge sideboard, -set on curiously slender legs, ran half -the length of one of the walls. Above it was -a shelf on which stood a fine old clock. The -table was very long; long enough, indeed, to -accommodate all the party, including Lon, -who took his chair quite as a matter of course. -The cloth was fine and snowy white; the -china and glass good, though a bit miscellaneous -in design. Varley was clever enough -to understand that the Grants evidently were -very comfortably well-to-do, and this was<span class="pagenum">[176]</span> -borne out by the hospitable profusion with -which the board was spread. There was set -before Mr. Grant a huge platter, piled high -with chicken fried a wonderful brown. There -were mashed potatoes, and beets, and onions, -and other vegetables; there was a wholesale -supply of apple sauce and cranberries, and -half a dozen kinds of pickles. There were -supplies of bread and butter for a small regiment, -and tall pitchers of milk, with a steaming -urn of coffee, over which Mrs. Grant -presided. A ruddy and somewhat agitated -maid hovered about her mistress, with whom -she exchanged stage whispers frequently, -followed by raids upon the pantry and replenishment -of this or that dish. It was all very -informal, very jolly, and, above all, very, very -good. There were certain flaky biscuits, which -captivated Paul, and of which he consumed -more than he liked to keep count of; though -nobody seemed to bother on that score. Twice -his plate went back for more chicken, following, -be it said, the example set by other plates. -The ride had sharpened appetites, which were -healthily developed, anyway; the blandishments -of Mrs. Grant were hardly needed to<span class="pagenum">[177]</span> -persuade her guests to prove themselves -mighty trenchermen.</p> - -<p>In that hospitable warmth good fellowship -reigned. Step threw off his burden of care -because of Poke’s misfortune, while Poke -himself roused to a somewhat subdued cheerfulness. -There might be dark trouble ahead, -but for the present he gave himself to the good -things of the moment.</p> - -<p>Sam was as merry as the others, but a -shadow of apprehension fell upon his face -when Mrs. Grant rose and slipped into the -pantry, whence proceeded sounds of her -whispered conference with her assistant. -Sam, of a sudden, had warnings. He had -almost forgotten that long-promised mince -pie; now he recalled it, with remembrance -of the anguish of mind it had caused him -and wonder if it was to put him to further -ordeals. Luckily, he had not long to wait in -uncertainty. The pantry door swung. Appeared -Mrs. Grant personally bearing the -famous pie, the maid escorting her.</p> - -<p>And what a pie it was!</p> - -<p>Lon’s admiring exclamation was no more -than deserved tribute. “Great Scott, Mis’<span class="pagenum">[178]</span> -Grant, but you sure done it this time! I’ve -been brung up with pies, and I thought I’d -seen all kinds they was, but I never clapped -eyes on an old he-one like that! Jupiter -crickets!”</p> - -<p>Now, in truth, it was a great pie, an enormous -pie, a pie of dimensions, baked in the -biggest dish any of the boys had ever seen so -used; a dish deep and wide. And it was a -pie crowned with a gently rising dome of -crust, tinted with the rich brown which bespeaks -perfect cooking. Mrs. Grant set it on -the table; the maid came, bearing a pile of -plates. Knife in hand, the hostess paused to -address the company.</p> - -<p>“Boys, I can’t make a speech, but I’m -going to tell you something. It’s kind of a -family tradition of the Grants—a mince pie -is. Why, way back in the days of Dominie -Pike——”</p> - -<p>“Dominie Pike!” It was the usually silent -Tom Orkney who spoke, and his voice had a -queer trace of excitement.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant turned to him. “Why, yes—the -Grants claim descent from him. But -what’s the matter?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[179]</span></p> - -<p>Tom went a fiery red under the gaze of the -company. “I—I—oh, nothing’s the matter,” -he stammered confusedly. “Only the name—it’s -odd, you know, and—and——”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant nodded briskly. “Does sound -odd these times—‘Dominie Pike.’ And I -guess he was an odd stick himself, for all he -was a minister and mighty close to a great -man. But you’re waiting to hear what he -has to do with mince pies—the Grant kind. -Well, I’ll tell you. Once he came back, nigh -starved and poor as Job’s turkey after one of -his trips in the woods with his Indian friends. -Never heard about his chumming around -with the old chiefs? Well, he did, and they -thought a sight of him. But that ain’t the -story I’m telling. You see, he’d been away -a long time, and supplies at home were running -mighty low. And his wife, she’d got -most desperate. So what did she do, but take -all the scraps and odds and ends she had—and -they were about all she did have, I guess—and -make ’em into a pie. And it turned -out nearer a mince pie than any other kind. -And just when it was done and cooling, and -the children were licking their lips and rubbing<span class="pagenum">[180]</span> -their poor little tummies, home comes -the Dominie out of the woods. And he sees -that blessed pie, and he descends upon it like -a wolf. And he eats it all, every crumb. -And everybody’s so glad to see him alive nobody -says anything to warn him that he’s -putting away the family’s dinner—and supper, -too, I reckon.</p> - -<p>“And finally he pushes back the plate, and -sits quiet for a minute. And then he looks at -his wife, and his eye sort of twinkles. And -he says in his way—and it was a good deal of -a way he had, by all the stories—he says: -‘Wife, as you well know, I hold not with the -pomps and vanities. But, for sustenance and -nourishing qualities, yonder pastry appears to -me to have possessed certain worthy qualities. -So I do advise that in the event of good service -by any of these children here present, they -be reasonably rewarded with a pie like this -one.’</p> - -<p>“And that’s the story that has been handed -down in the family; and that’s the reason -we’ve set great store by our mince pies as -rewards of merit. And so, when Master Sam -Parker”—here she beamed on that youth—“when<span class="pagenum">[181]</span> -he did me a very good turn, I just -naturally made up my mind to treat him by -the Dominie Pike recipe. Sometimes I’ve -wondered if he didn’t think a mince pie was -a funny medal, but now he knows—and you -friends of his know—why you’re facing this -mince pie, and why I expect you to treat it -the way the old Dominie treated his. If you -leave a crumb of it, I shan’t like it one bit—so -there!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you won’t be disappointed!” Sam -cried hastily. “It—it’s a beautiful pie. And—and -I like the story that goes with it,” he -added after the briefest of pauses.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant gave him a glance of understanding. -“Well, now, I thought you might,” -she said. “Boys are funny—you never can -tell how things’ll strike ’em. And a pie—even -a mince pie—might worry some of them, -if it was a—a—well, a present, you know, and -meant for sort of a good conduct badge, and -so on. And if they didn’t take it right—why—why——”</p> - -<p>Then Sam spoke with decision and emphasis. -“Don’t you worry, Mrs. Grant,” he said. -“This bully pie is going to be taken right!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[182]</span></p> - -<p>The lady’s broad-bladed knife drove through -the crust of the great pie.</p> - -<p>“Have those plates ready, Hannah!” she -warned the maid. “And don’t forget the -whipped cream—no, nor the maple fluff.” -Again she glanced at her guest of honor. -“Which will you have with the pie? Maybe, -though, you’d like both.” With practiced -hand she was removing a huge sector and -placing it upon a plate. “Both, did you say? -They go together very nicely.”</p> - -<p>Two big glass bowls had been set beside the -monster pie, one filled with cream beaten to a -delightful fluffiness, the other with something -very pleasing to the eye and suggesting to -Varley a light caramel.</p> - -<p>“I’ll try both,” said Sam valiantly.</p> - -<p>“Good for you!” exclaimed his hostess. -“That’s one comfort of having boys around, -though. When you take extra trouble to -please ’em, they’ll meet you half-way. -They’ve got real appetites, and they know -what to do with them. Now, I don’t believe -Dominie Pike had whipped cream with his -pie, but that was his misfortune and not his -fault. And as for the maple fluff—well, we<span class="pagenum">[183]</span> -set great store by that in Sugar Valley, which -wouldn’t have been called so if it wasn’t for -its maple sugar.”</p> - -<p>Paul Varley spoke a bit impetuously: “Oh, -maple sugar? After dinner we may see how -it’s made, mayn’t we?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant nodded briskly. “Indeed you -shall! The sap isn’t really running yet, but -we’ve got all the fixings.... Quick! More -plates, Hannah!” She was serving the dessert -with dextrous speed. “Don’t wait, boys!... -And you’ll have both trimmings, -won’t you?” She now was addressing Poke. -“Excuse me if I can’t keep all your names -straight, but you look as if you might have a -sweet tooth.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am, both, if you please,” said Poke -heartily. For the moment, at least, he had -quite forgotten his sorrows.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant beamed upon him. “That’s -what I like to hear! Give me good, lusty -boys every time!... And it’ll be both for -you, too, won’t it?” she asked, turning to Step.</p> - -<p>The elongated youth quite matched Poke’s -heartiness. “Yes, ma’am, both will do very -nicely.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[184]</span></p> - -<p>Lon Gates chuckled. “Oh, he can stand -it, all right. Some folks is built to stow it -sideways, and some to stow it up and down.”</p> - -<p>“And some take care of it both ways, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes’m, that’s me,” quoth Lon, quite unabashed. -“’Specially when it comes to Sugar -Valley mince pies,” he added gallantly.</p> - -<p>It was a deserved tribute. Every boy at -the table was ready to vow that never had -there been another mince pie to match the -toothsome marvel of Sugar Valley cookery, -composed and baked for the honor and delectation -of Sam Parker and his friends.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[185]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">EXPLORING THE VALLEY</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Probably everybody notices, from time to -time, how things which would seem to be -trifling in themselves bring about results -which are anything but trifling. Paul -Varley’s interest in sugar making was to -prove a case in point.</p> - -<p>If Varley had not been with the Safety -First Club that day, it is altogether likely -that the trip to the maple groves would have -been omitted. The big dinner, with Sam’s -wonderful mince pie as its climax, left the -Grants’ guests very well pleased with the -world in general but not at all disposed to -exertion, especially as the weather showed no -improvement. Back in the great living-room -the party settled down in a semicircle before -the open fireplace, where now a cheery little -pile of birch was blazing.</p> - -<p>“We’ll have it for company, anyway,” -Mrs. Grant explained, as she touched a<span class="pagenum">[186]</span> -match to the kindling. “The steam keeps -us warm enough—and some to spare—days -like this, but I must say I like the sparkle -and crackle. Kind of sociable like, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes’m—makes me think of a lively widow -next door!” chuckled Lon.</p> - -<p>“Hm-m! Don’t see as you’ve got any call, -Lon Gates, to make jokes about widows,” said -Mrs. Grant with spirit. “None of ’em’s got -you yet.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you never can tell, ma’am. I’m -young yet.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant shook her head, half reprovingly. -“I believe you are, Lon. Still, I remember -when——”</p> - -<p>“When I could eat a meal like these -youngsters have just stowed away,” Lon -put in. “Yes’m, yes’m; that’s so. But I’ll -say this, ma’am: I didn’t get many such -chances in my time to treat myself like an -anacondy snake same as these youngsters -have.”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! They’ve just nice, wholesome -appetites.”</p> - -<p>Lon chuckled again. “Well, maybe you’re -right, at that. Fillin’ a growin’ boy is a good<span class="pagenum">[187]</span> -deal like pourin’ water into a sieve. But jest -for the time bein’, I’d say, you’ve got this -crowd full to the brim.”</p> - -<p>The Shark rose rather jerkily, and walked -up to the profile map. He regarded it with -a fascination like that the ill-omened vase at -the hotel had had for Poke. Mr. Grant joined -him.</p> - -<p>“My father made that,” said the farmer. -“You see, it was this way: One winter he -was laid up with a broken leg, and wanted -to have something to keep him busy. He’d -done some work on the big map at the state -house—he was a surveyor, among other -things, you understand—and it struck him -he’d fix up this affair for our valley. It happened -he’d run levels all over it, and had his -records; so he had plenty to go by. And -they do say this is amazing accurate. Why, -when the government men came through here -a few years back——”</p> - -<p>“I know—they mapped all this region,” -the Shark interrupted. “Computed elevations, -set monuments, all that sort of thing.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they found father had hit mighty -close to the mark. And their monuments—that’s<span class="pagenum">[188]</span> -your word for ’em, eh?—you can find -three-four of ’em scattered around. Mostly -they’re on the hills, but down by the river -they set one on a little rise. If ’twa’n’t for -the snow you could find it easily.”</p> - -<p>The Shark ran his eye over the map. “The -valley’s really like a big bowl,” said he, meditatively. -“And that’s a mighty narrow outlet—place -we came through, where the bridges -are—more like the neck of a bottle. I should -think the ice would jam there. Then if there -should be a flood—say, things would happen!”</p> - -<p>“So they would. But the big dam up -above’ll hold, I guess. You see, years ago -there was a scheme to turn the whole valley -into a reservoir, but it’d have taken more -money than the folks could raise. So they -went up-stream a few miles, and put in their -dam there. But we ain’t had any floods in -Sugar Valley, for all the mouth of it’s like -the mouth of a bottle, as you were saying.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly!” quoth the Shark, but kept his -gaze upon the map. “And so there is a government -marker down by the river—on a -little rise? Wonder if it isn’t about there?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[189]</span></p> - -<p>Mr. Grant looked at the spot to which the -Shark pointed. “You’ve hit it close, young -man,” he declared.</p> - -<p>A very slight, but very satisfied, smile lessened -the severity of the Shark’s expression. -“I felt pretty sure I had,” he remarked complacently.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant turned from poking the fire and -mounding the birch logs to her fancy.</p> - -<p>“No; we don’t have floods often in Sugar -Valley,” she observed, “though anybody -might think we would. Somehow, the river -takes care of the water. Of course, ’way back -in Dominie Pike’s time, they did have some -amazing freshets—he told about ’em in his -diary, you know.”</p> - -<p>Tom Orkney bent forward. “Then you’ve -seen the diary, ma’am?” he inquired eagerly.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant laughed. “Bless your heart, -no! It disappeared years before I happened -along.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” There was a disappointment in -Tom’s tone, which didn’t escape Mrs. Grant’s -attention.</p> - -<p>“It is an awful pity!” she said. “The -Dominie, I guess, put down ’most everything<span class="pagenum">[190]</span> -that happened, and if folks could find his -book now, they could settle a lot of points -they’re disputing. But seventy-five or eighty -years ago people didn’t set such store by old -things—they were too glad to get new ones, -maybe—and so lots of stuff was lost that -would bring high prices nowadays. Why, -the diary just knocked about, as you might -say—or part of it did. Mr. Grant’s grandfather -always insisted that the Dominie filled -three or four note-books, and that the one -folks saw—that’s the one, by the way, all the -stories told now are based on—why, he always -argued that that was the last, or next to the -last, of the set. ’Tis a fact it didn’t tell much -about the very earliest days of the settlement—I’ve -heard that point spoken of. But, anyway, -it passed from hand to hand in the -family, and was borrowed by neighbors, and -got all thumbed and dog-eared, and worn and -tattered; and, finally, it just dropped out of -sight. Too bad, but that’s what happened.”</p> - -<p>“Nobody copied it?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Why—why, yes and no. Nobody copied -it all—nobody thought it worth the trouble -in those days. I’ve seen in old letters lots of<span class="pagenum">[191]</span> -references to it and its stories, and once or -twice I’ve come across short quotations from -it. But there’s another mix-up—in trying to -find out about it now, I mean. You see, along -about 1800 there was a Grant who was a great -practical joker, and sort of a bookish fellow, -too; and, somehow, the combination set him -to writing a burlesque diary. It was about -people of his time, but he imitated the Dominie’s -style, and he was a clever hand at it; -and what with most of the family names -around here being the same as in the Dominie’s -day and the imitation being so good—well, -after a while even folks who’d read both -got sort of mixed as to what was in which. -So now nobody really knows where truth ends -and jokes begin in half the traditions of the -town. What makes it worse is that the -Grant diary disappeared, too. Very likely -the man who wrote it destroyed it, when he -got older, and took a more serious view of life.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Orkney again. There was still -disappointment in his tone.</p> - -<p>“We’ve looked high and low for both books, -of course; but I guess they’re lost for good. -This valley, you know, was where the Dominie<span class="pagenum">[192]</span> -settled. He gave it the name it’s had ever -since—Sugar Valley. That was because he -found the Indians here were making sugar. -Mighty poor stuff it was, probably, and more -than half dirt. But it was sweet, and real -sugar was hard to get. Maybe that was one -reason the Dominie stayed here, and built -a cabin, and then a house, and finally a -better house. Oh, it was quite a mansion, -that last house of his was—a sort of show -place, though I guess there weren’t many -people to show it to. But it was made of -sawed boards instead of logs, and there was a -wonderful great chimney, and the fireplaces -were as big as some rooms are nowadays. -Yes, and one of the up-stairs rooms had a fireplace; -and that, I guess, was a sort of eighth -wonder of the world—this part of the world, -anyway. But here I am, talking as if you -couldn’t see the place for yourselves, if you -want to.”</p> - -<p>“Then it still stands?” Orkney asked.</p> - -<p>“Indeed it does! Nobody has lived in it -for years and years, but it’s still there—nearly -a mile from here, and close to the river. Of -course, it’s rickety, but it doesn’t tumble down,<span class="pagenum">[193]</span> -and I don’t see any signs that it’s likely to. -Once or twice we’ve talked about restoring it, -and fixing it up, but we’ve never got around -to do it; though some folks say we ought to -turn it into a sort of historical museum. But, -as I say, we haven’t got to it. And as for exploring -the old place—why, why—a miserable -day like this——”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant hesitated. As she chanced to be -looking at Varley, it was he who made answer -to her unfinished question.</p> - -<p>“Oh, another time will do just as well. -And it was the sugar making that we’d especially -like to see, you know.”</p> - -<p>“You’re interested in that, then?”</p> - -<p>“Very interested; it’ll be all new to me. -And—and”—Paul smiled engagingly—“and -your maple fluff, Mrs. Grant, was awfully -good. It made a fellow all the more anxious -to find out about the flavoring.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant was pleased, and showed it. -“So you liked it, then? Well, ’tis kind of -tasty, though there’s really nothing to it but -whipped white of egg, and just a mite of -cream, and a dash of maple. But put it on -mince pie——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[194]</span></p> - -<p>“Geeminy, but it’s cracking good!” Step -interrupted.</p> - -<p>“Why, I’d call it grand,” quoth Poke solemnly, -and licked his lips reminiscently.</p> - -<p>Then Mrs. Grant laughed. “Ha, ha, ha! -I vow, but there’d be some satisfaction in cooking -for a lot of folks like you boys! But if -you want to see where the maple comes from—why, -I don’t want to turn you out in the -wet, but you ought to be looking around while -the light’s as good as it’s likely to be this day. -And so, if Mr. Grant is ready, and you’re ready -to start—why, that’s just what I’d do if I were -you.”</p> - -<p>Now, probably there was nobody concerned—except -Varley, of course—who wouldn’t -have been willing to omit the expedition. -But Paul was genuinely interested, and so -evident was this fact that none of the others -were willing to offer objection. Caps and -overcoats and overshoes were brought out and -donned, and with Mr. Grant in the lead the -party streamed out of the house.</p> - -<p>“Don’t stay too long!” Mrs. Grant called -after them. “My, but it’s getting to be weepy -weather! Well, I’ll have something warm<span class="pagenum">[195]</span> -and comforting waiting for you when you -come back.”</p> - -<p>“Weepy weather,” indeed, fitted the case. -The air was milder than ever, and more -charged with moisture. Eaves were dripping, -and little streams trickled down the trunks -of the trees; under foot the melting snow lay -in a dwindling, soggy mass. What was more, -a thin drizzle was falling, hardly to be called -a rain, but curiously searching and penetrating -in its dampness.</p> - -<p>Mr. Grant glanced at the leaden sky, and -shook his head.</p> - -<p>“Well, if I had to guess, I’d say things were -going to be worse before they’re better,” he remarked. -“Way the wind’s been hanging in -the east——”</p> - -<p>“More southeast, ain’t it?” Lon inquired.</p> - -<p>“In-between. Vane on the barn ain’t -hardly wiggled all day. And it’s pointing -right to where our big rains hail from. -Funny we haven’t had it harder. Up-river -they’ve been getting a reg’lar downpour, accordin’ -to what they’re telephoning.”</p> - -<p>“Umph!” said Lon. “Then you’ll be<span class="pagenum">[196]</span> -havin’ a sight o’ water for this river o’ yourn -to take care of, won’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s done just that every spring,” -said Mr. Grant.</p> - -<p>“Mebbe. Only I’ve got kinder a notion -from the feel o’ things that there’s a reg’lar -weather buster brewin’.”</p> - -<p>“My notion ain’t so far from yours,” Mr. -Grant agreed. Then he turned to the boys. -“We’ll take a look at what we call the -‘Island’—that’s where we make most of our -sugar. Got some trees tapped already, though -the season ain’t really begun yet. But it’ll -be easier to show you than to tell you about -it. So come along!”</p> - -<p>They followed him, in Indian file, along a -well-beaten path through the snow, a path -that wound and twisted to avoid groves and -patches of thicket. The floor of the valley -seemed to be almost level, after the descent -from the natural terrace on which the house -stood; but, plainly enough, not much of the -land was under cultivation. Except for the -fact that their course was generally toward -the river, the boys had little idea of their -destination, and Sam, with the teachings of<span class="pagenum">[197]</span> -Safety First in mind, remarked to himself -that here was a stretch of country in which a -fellow might very easily lose his bearings. -Not that he had any thought of danger. Even -if anybody lost his way, temporarily, he could -steer for the hills and so, sooner or later, come -to higher ground and the road. So he trudged -along, digging his chin deep in his upturned -collar, and making the best of unpleasant -conditions.</p> - -<p>Sam noticed, presently, that one at least of -his companions was showing signs of losing -heart. Poke had started out near the head of -the line, and, comforted by food and warmth, -had appeared to be in excellent spirits. Very -soon, however, the melancholy weather had -its effect. Probably it reminded him of his -gloomy prospects and the staggering bill for -the big vase. At any rate, his steps lagged. -One after another passed him, until he was -the last straggler in the line. As it proved, -he was far behind the rest of the party when -they came to the “Island.”</p> - -<p>As has been said, this was not an island, -but a low knoll, covered by a fine growth of -maples. On one side stood a small building,<span class="pagenum">[198]</span> -half house, half shed; and here was an equipment -of great kettles for “boiling down” the -collected sap. There was an orderly pile of -new cans, in which the syrup would be -shipped, and there were boxes awaiting the -sugar, to which part of the yield of the grove -would be reduced.</p> - -<p>“I hear they’ve got a lot of newfangled -modern improvements,” Mr. Grant remarked, -“but we stick to the old ways. Of course, we -ain’t big producers and shippers, but we manage -’most every season to do something of a -trade. And now I’ll show you how we do it.”</p> - -<p>With that he took Varley in hand. He displayed -the little spouts which were placed in -holes in the maple trunks, and along which -the sap ran to pails. Then he showed big -buckets, into which collectors emptied the -contents of the pails, and which brought their -gallons and gallons of the thin sap to the -kettles, there to be reduced in volume and -increased in density until the required standard -for syrup was reached.</p> - -<p>“This isn’t a big plant,” he explained, “but, -after all, we’re pretty busy around here, when -things get going. Fires have to be kept up,<span class="pagenum">[199]</span> -and sap has to be brought in; and of course -it’s a short season, at the best, and so there -has to be a hustle. When the sap starts running—why, -we have to run, too.”</p> - -<p>“Then it hasn’t started yet?” Varley asked.</p> - -<p>“It’s starting—the warm spell sets it going. -But ’tain’t a full flow yet. You can see -we’ve got some trees tapped”—he pointed to -a near-by part of the grove—“and if a freeze -don’t come to check things, we’ll be in full -swing a good deal quicker than I’d care to -be. Somehow, I don’t like the looks of the -weather, or the feel of it, for that matter.”</p> - -<p>Varley was quite ready to agree with Mr. -Grant on this score. The dismal day was -growing more dismal still; the drizzle was -heavier; the dense gray clouds seemed to -hang lower. The other boys, to whom a -sugar camp was an old story, were huddling -in the lee of the house. Varley noticed that -Poke, most sorrowful of face, was in low-toned -talk with Step, who seemed rapidly to be becoming -as melancholy as his chum. Then -Sam joined the pair, and the whispered conversation -went on, with no sign of rising -spirits.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[200]</span></p> - -<p>Varley was clever enough to make a shrewd -guess at the situation. Doubtless, sooner or -later, he would hear all about it, but just -now the club was keeping its own counsel. -So he remained near Mr. Grant until the -latter was called into the house by his hired -man, who seemed to be unable to find a big -ladle, of which he announced himself in -search.</p> - -<p>Left alone, Paul took note that the Shark, -who was peering at the lower ground about -the “Island” and mumbling to himself in -dissatisfied fashion, appeared to be on the -point of starting on some small expedition of -his own. Paul crossed to him.</p> - -<p>“What’s up?” he inquired. “Looking for -something?”</p> - -<p>The Shark merely grunted.</p> - -<p>“What is it?”</p> - -<p>“The marker.”</p> - -<p>“Eh?” Paul had not been especially impressed -by the map or the talk about it.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you hear?” snapped the Shark. -“Marker, I said—marker the government -surveyors left. Bet you I know where it -is!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[201]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh! do you?” said Varley, a little -vaguely.</p> - -<p>The Shark snorted. “Huh! Sure I know—if -the survey and the map match. Ought -to be out there.” And he pointed into the -mists toward the river.</p> - -<p>“Oh, had it?”</p> - -<p>“Of course it had! And I’m going to -find it.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll help you,” said Varley readily.</p> - -<p>“Shucks! You don’t know how,” said the -Shark bluntly.</p> - -<p>Varley was good-natured. Moreover, the -youthful mathematician appealed to his sense -of humor.</p> - -<p>“Well, maybe you can show me how.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” the Shark admitted.</p> - -<p>“Then I may come along?”</p> - -<p>“If you’d like to,” quoth the Shark, half-grudgingly, -and started off.</p> - -<p>Varley followed him. Mr. Grant and his -helper were still in the house, and the other -boys were grouped about Poke. None of -them, as it happened, observed the departure -of the two.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[202]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE SHARK DEMONSTRATES</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Varley splashed after his leader. No other -word would quite describe the sort of journey -he made at the heels of the Shark; for as soon -as they had descended from the slight rise of -the “Island,” and come to the lower levels, -they encountered many evidences of the rapid -progress of the thaw. Probably even in summer -there was more or less swampy ground -hereabouts; but now water from the melting -snow stood in shallow pools, through which -the Shark marched unconcernedly. He was -wearing big overshoes, with tops of waterproof -cloth buckled tightly about the bottoms -of his trousers, and appeared to give no more -thought to the puddles underfoot than he -gave to the rain.</p> - -<p>Paul had a somewhat different equipment, -inasmuch as he was shod in leather only, but -leather prepared by some new process for -rough wear and guaranteed to be water-tight.<span class="pagenum">[203]</span> -So far the new shoes—they laced well up his -legs—had seemed to meet the guarantee, but -he began to wonder if they would continue to -do so. Certainly he was putting them to an -extreme test, as, for that matter, he was testing -the qualities of his heavy outer jacket. -Indeed, he smiled more than once to himself -as he thought how curiously unlike his city -experience it was to be trudging along on such -a day, and in such a place, and, it may be -added, in such company. For the Shark -surely was an odd stick. He hardly opened -his lips as they tramped along, but Varley -found him entertaining, for all that.</p> - -<p>Thick clumps of undergrowth here and -there prevented a march in a straight course, -and also so narrowed the field of view that -Paul had small notion of the direction they -were taking. The Shark, however, went along -quite as if he were on familiar ground. To -be sure, he glanced about him frequently, but -with an effect, almost, of picking up landmarks; -and, presently, quickening his pace, -headed straight into a hedge-like line of -bushes, forced a passage through them, and -gave a grunt of satisfaction.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[204]</span></p> - -<p>“Ugh! Hit it about right. Not too far -up—that’s the main thing.”</p> - -<p>Paul overtook him, and halting, as he had -halted, looked out upon the Sugar River. It -was a sizable stream at all times, but now, -swollen by melting snow, it was a river of -imposing proportions. It was running almost -bank full. There was a great deal of ice coming -down-stream; the cakes, in some cases, -were like small floes. The current was swift, -and the cakes ground and grated together -savagely. Moreover, the water was of a -muddy color, which could have had nothing -to do with its temperature, but which, for some -reason Paul didn’t understand, made him -shiver.</p> - -<p>“Whew! I’d hate to have to take a dip -in there,” said he.</p> - -<p>The Shark nodded absently. He was giving -a moment to studying the opposite -bank.</p> - -<p>“Of course—too cold.... Be too cold -for two months yet,” he added.</p> - -<p>Varley pushed the collar of his coat higher. -If he were not mistaken, the rain was increasing. -Funny how sight of that yellow, rushing<span class="pagenum">[205]</span> -river made everything seem more dismal -than ever, he reflected.</p> - -<p>Somewhere in the dim distance the Shark -made out what he had been looking for.</p> - -<p>“Um-m! That’ll be it—highest ground -anywhere around. Now, if I can get a -line——” He broke off the sentence, and, -turning, stared in the direction in which, by -Varley’s hazy reckoning, lay the Grant farmhouse.</p> - -<p>“What are you up to?” Paul inquired.</p> - -<p>“What do you s’pose?” countered the Shark -testily. “Think I’m looking for birds’ nests?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” Varley answered humbly; just -then he was not disposed to controversy. -His tone was not lost upon the Shark, who -said, quickly and almost apologetically:</p> - -<p>“Oh, I say! ’Tisn’t as if you knew more—er—er—as -if you were better posted, I mean. -Ought to have thought of that! But I’m -getting my bearings. And I <em>am</em> getting -them, too.”</p> - -<p>“Your bearings?” Paul repeated, doubtfully. -“Then you’ve been here before.”</p> - -<p>“Never in my life. Saw that map, though, -didn’t I?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[206]</span></p> - -<p>“The map? But—but you didn’t commit -it to memory, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Only the most important part of it,” said -the Shark simply. “Few of the elevations—that -sort of thing. They were marked down -plain as print.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t notice ’em,” Varley confessed.</p> - -<p>The Shark’s lip curled. “Huh! What do -you have eyes for?” Then he recalled that -the other was in a sense a stranger and a guest. -“I mean, it’s a mighty good scheme, when -you see figures, to jot ’em down in memory. -Then, if you’ve got nothing else to do, you -can have fun thinking ’em over and setting -yourself little problems with ’em. Now, this -valley’d fool you. Lot less slope to the floor -of it than you’d suppose. And the way the -hills line up—say, though, didn’t notice that, -either, did you?”</p> - -<p>“I—I guess I didn’t.”</p> - -<p>“It would have paid you. That government -marker we’re looking for is right between -the two highest hills—one on each side of the -valley. That is, it is, if the map’s accurate. -So far, everything’s working out all right. I -schemed on hitting the river a little below the<span class="pagenum">[207]</span> -real point and working up, and I think I’ve -done it. Now let’s get along. Ready?”</p> - -<p>“After you,” said Varley.</p> - -<p>“Good!” cried the Shark, and off he set, -not keeping to the bank of the stream, but -bearing away from it on a long diagonal.</p> - -<p>Varley pursued him. By this time there -could be no doubt that the rain was heavier. -Underfoot, even where there were no puddles, -the snow was a clammy mush of penetrating -chill. Varley began to suspect the worth of -that guarantee of his new shoes. Very gladly -he would have turned back, had he been -alone; but, being with the Shark, he followed -his leader, who plodded on, giving no heed to -rain or snow. Again they came to clumps of -brush, and made detours about them. At -intervals the Shark halted briefly, scanned -his surroundings, grunted and went on. -Varley felt sure they were getting far from the -island, though he would have been put to it -to make an estimate of the distance.</p> - -<p>The Shark began to slacken pace. His -halts for observation were more frequent and -longer. Once or twice he even turned back -briefly, working over ground they had crossed<span class="pagenum">[208]</span> -a moment before. Varley saw that a frown -was on his face.</p> - -<p>“Are we—are we ’most there?” he inquired -solicitously.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Ought to be.”</p> - -<p>Varley cast a glance about him. “I don’t -see anything of that—that marker, you called -it, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p>Very deliberately the Shark removed his -spectacles, and pulled out a handkerchief. -He cleared the lenses of moisture, set them -before his eyes, peered—or tried to peer—at -the hills. But the thickening rain hid -them.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Closing in, ain’t it?” he growled.</p> - -<p>“It surely is!” Varley agreed.</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll have to depend more on dead -reckoning. Let’s see! Um—um! Allowing -for the—— Look here!” The Shark -whipped about to glare at his companion. -“Look here! Don’t suppose that map’s inaccurate, -do you?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m going to know—and know -mighty quick,” said the Shark grimly. -“That marker ought to be within a hundred<span class="pagenum">[209]</span> -yards—no, within fifty—of where we are this -minute. Maybe there’s snow over it. Still, -it ought to show—way the stuff’s melting and -going off, you know.”</p> - -<p>Varley said “Yes,” because he did not know -what else to say. He was about to add that it -was raining a lot harder, when his comrade -gave a shout, and, darting across the little -open space in which they chanced to be, -dropped on his knees beside an object just -protruding from the remains of a snow bank. -With frantic haste the Shark tore away the -heavy snow, revealing a low stone post, bearing -a cryptical, chiseled inscription, of which -Varley could make nothing. But the Shark -was raising a shout of jubilation.</p> - -<p>“Bully for us! Bully for the map! It’s -all right! We’re all right! Say, ain’t this -cracking good sport, Varley?”</p> - -<p>Paul tried to feign friendly enthusiasm, but -he was too damp to be very successful.</p> - -<p>“It—it’s wonderful. Why—why—why, -you didn’t know anything about this place -except what that map told you, and you came -straight to—to where you wanted to come! -I—I never heard anything like it!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[210]</span></p> - -<p>The Shark patted the stone with a demonstrative -affection Varley hadn’t dreamed he -was capable of displaying.</p> - -<p>“Bully old rock! Sure you’d be here, where -you belong! Oh, but I say! This is just the -greatest sport outdoors!”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t see—the marker wasn’t shown -on the map—it was put in long after the map -was made—I don’t understand——”</p> - -<p>The Shark interrupted Varley’s broken -speech.</p> - -<p>“Of course! But naturally it would be put -about here by the government men. If you’d -taken a good look at the map, you’d have -seen why. You’d get the line. Then Mr. -Grant as good as pointed out the spot. After -that it was just a case of getting the bearings -in your head and keeping them there—easy -as falling off a log, wasn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“It seems to have been easy for you,” Paul -confessed. “But—but now that this is done, -what—er—er—what do you want to do -next?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t care—anything,” shrugged the -Shark.</p> - -<p>A dash of rain drove into Paul’s face, and<span class="pagenum">[211]</span> -gave a hardly needed hint of the desirability of -shelter.</p> - -<p>“It’s getting pretty damp,” he said. “We -ought to go back, or find some cover till -there’s a let up in the shower.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, all right,” said the Shark carelessly. -“Just as you please—’tis getting to be quite a -rain, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is. And it’s going to be a good -deal of a tramp.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon the Shark squinted at the leaden -sky.</p> - -<p>“Umph! Doesn’t show signs of clearing, I -must say. Still, the weather’s the weather, -and what we know about it doesn’t make an -exact science. Maybe there’ll be a lull. Meanwhile, -I suppose we might as well make for -the house.”</p> - -<p>“You mean the Grants’ house or the sugar -camp?”</p> - -<p>“Neither. There’s another, nearer by.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Varley, and, in spite of him, -the doubt in his tone was manifest.</p> - -<p>“Case of map again,” quoth the Shark. -“House indicated somewhere ’round here. -Course, I didn’t pay the same attention to it<span class="pagenum">[212]</span> -that I would to something that really mattered. -But if you’d like to hunt it up, I’m -willing enough to hunt with you.”</p> - -<p>“I’d very much like to!”</p> - -<p>The Shark glanced about him. He furrowed -his brow reflectively.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see, now! Farther along it was. -Yes, and off to the left, I should say—away -from the river, that is. Um, um!... -Hullo! What’s that?”</p> - -<p>The “that” had been a sound, faint and far -off, but easily to be known as the whistle of a -locomotive. Varley said as much, and said it -a bit testily; the rain was seemingly growing -heavier every minute, and he was becoming -impatient to seek shelter.</p> - -<p>“Umph! I knew that, too—any chump’d -know it,” growled the Shark. “But was it -from a main line engine or one of the old -machines on the branch?”</p> - -<p>Paul stared at him. “What difference——” -he began hotly; then changed his tone. “Say, -you don’t mean to tell me you know all the -engines by their whistles?”</p> - -<p>“No; not all of ’em—my ear isn’t true -enough,” the Shark confessed. “I know a<span class="pagenum">[213]</span> -fellow, though, who can spot every last one as -far as he can hear it. He’s got absolute pitch.”</p> - -<p>“Eh?”</p> - -<p>“If he hears a sound he can tell you what’s -the note—something like that, anyway. Bully -thing to be able to do! Still, you don’t have -to have the knack to get a lot out of music. -I’m going in for music, by the way, when I -have time.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Paul, dubiously. Somehow, -the Shark never had suggested to him one -of musical tastes. “So you’re going in for -it? Oh, yes! And it’ll be—er—er—violin, -or piano, or—or——”</p> - -<p>“Shucks, no!” The Shark’s lip curled -scornfully. “What’d I want to play anything -for? And tunes? Bah! I can’t tell one -from another. And what’s the use of bothering -to learn to play one instrument, when -you can have a whole band going for you by -just starting up a phonograph? But they -tell me there’s really some good stuff under -it all—real mathematics, I mean, when you -get into counterpoint, or whatever it is they -call it. So I’m going to take it up when I -have a little leisure.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[214]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I see—I get you,” said Paul. Then -he was reminded by another dash of rain that -this was hardly a time for gossip in the open. -“Now, though, how about that house?”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ll look for it,” said the Shark; -and set off in the direction in which he believed -the building to be.</p> - -<p>Paul followed him. He noticed that his -guide went more slowly than before, and -that he veered from left to right, and then -from right to left, as if desiring to cover a -wider strip of territory. The brush was not -especially dense, but it was thick enough to -limit the field of view, so that often it was -impossible to see more than a few score yards -ahead. Suddenly, however, the Shark pulled -up.</p> - -<p>“Huh! That’ll be the place, I guess,” he -announced.</p> - -<p>Paul made out dimly the line of a roof; -but what with the rain, and the trees, he -could do little more than make it out. It -was not, in fact, until he and the Shark were -close to the building that they obtained a fair -view of it.</p> - -<p>The house, evidently, was very old. So<span class="pagenum">[215]</span> -much could be guessed from the mossy roof -and weatherbeaten walls. Midway of the -ridge-pole rose a squat and very thick chimney. -In front the house showed two stories, -but in the rear the roof ran in a great sweep -from the ridge-pole to within a couple of feet -of the tops of the ground-floor windows. -There was no porch, and, indeed, the house -was most severely plain in all its outlines.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Old timer,” the Shark observed. -“And nobody home!”</p> - -<p>Presumably it had been a good many years -since anybody had been at home there. Still, -the place was not utterly neglected in appearance. -The stout shutters at the windows -were closed, and the front door was boarded -up; what was once the front yard had been -kept clear of brush.</p> - -<p>Varley surveyed the premises with a feeling -of helplessness; they seemed to offer no -more shelter than was given by the leafless -boughs of the trees.</p> - -<p>“No; nobody home!” he echoed.</p> - -<p>The Shark grunted. “Ugh! Say, ’tis getting -to rain!” One might suppose from his -tone that this was a fresh discovery.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[216]</span></p> - -<p>Varley nodded. As he did so, the motion -sent a shower of drops flying from the visor -of his cap.</p> - -<p>The Shark gave a moment or two to consideration -of the weather signs. Then he -shook himself much in the manner of a dog -emerging from a pond.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Can’t say it looks like clearing. -Still, you never can tell. So long’s we’re -here, we might as well crawl in somewhere -out of the wet, and wait a while.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s a place to crawl in?”</p> - -<p>The Shark stepped up to the door and -gave a tug at the boards. They were tightly -nailed.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Nothing doing there,” he reported.</p> - -<p>“Nothing doing,” Varley repeated dismally. -His courage was good enough, but he was becoming -acutely conscious of the physical drawbacks -of the situation.</p> - -<p>The Shark tried the nearest shutter. Its -rusty catch proved obstinate, but at last gave -way, and the shutter swung, revealing the -small panes of the window. One or two -were broken. Quite coolly the Shark smashed<span class="pagenum">[217]</span> -another, and cautiously thrust a hand through -the opening.</p> - -<p>“What! You’re going to break in?” -Varley demanded.</p> - -<p>“I sure am! If I can find the thing that -fastens this window!” quoth the Shark. “No -other way—that is, if we mean to get inside. -We can pay for any damage we do afterward, -but just now our business is to get somewhere -out of the wet.”</p> - -<p>A sharp increase in the downpour—and by -this time it undeniably was a downpour—served -to emphasize his words. Varley sprang -to his assistance, and the Shark finding the -nail which had served as a lock, their united -efforts contrived to raise the lower sash. The -Shark climbed and wriggled, and Varley -boosted so energetically that at last the explorer -shot through the opening and into the -dimness of the room beyond. He was up in -a minute and stretching out a hand to his -ally, who lost no time in climbing after -him.</p> - -<p>“Whew! What faded-out air!” gasped the -Shark.</p> - -<p>“Yes; it’s all of that!” Varley agreed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[218]</span></p> - -<p>Indeed, the room was close and stuffy, as -rooms long closed are likely to be. But it -was a dry, if musty, closeness, a deal better -than the wetness of out-of-doors. The Shark -shook himself again.</p> - -<p>“Gorry! Say, but this beats the other -thing,” he declared. “Bet you that window -hasn’t been open, though, in ten years; though -the folks seem to have kept a lot of furniture -here.”</p> - -<p>Varley peered into the shadows. He could -make out the shapes of a settle and a table, -and something he took to be an ancient chest -of drawers. Also he was quite sure there was -a fireplace. Cold and black as it was, it drew -him like a magnet. He started across the -room, and now the Shark followed instead -of led.</p> - -<p>“Now look—I’ve the luck to have a box -of matches along,” said he. “If we can find -something to burn we——”</p> - -<p>There he broke off, as Varley uttered a -startled exclamation.</p> - -<p>Beneath the feet of the explorers was an -ominous creak. It turned swiftly to the -grating sound of breaking wood. The floor<span class="pagenum">[219]</span> -sagged; the old boards parted. The boys, -clawing vainly for support, shot down through -the aperture into a cellar, which was like a -pit for blackness.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[220]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE HUNT</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>“I tell you, it’s the only way. Don’t you -suppose I’ve figured and figured on what to -do? Well, I have; and there’s just one answer. -I can’t dodge it, and I won’t try. I’ve -got to pay up, and I will pay up—somehow.”</p> - -<p>Poke said it bravely enough and determinedly—all -except the last word. The -“somehow” came after a little pause, and -dragged at that.</p> - -<p>“But you can’t!” blurted the Trojan. -“You’ve just told us you couldn’t raise the -money.”</p> - -<p>Poke had his back against the wall of the -sugar camp; literally and figuratively he was -like one making a last stand.</p> - -<p>“But I’ve got to raise it—somehow.” -Again there was the brief pause; again there -was a catch in his voice. “I’m responsible; -I smashed that vase. I didn’t mean to smash -it, but that makes no difference.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[221]</span></p> - -<p>“Umph! I’m not so sure of that,” objected -the Trojan.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I say, too,” Step put in. -“Seems as if there ought to be some way——”</p> - -<p>“What! To wriggle out of it?” Poke demanded -indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Why—why—I—I wouldn’t exactly——”</p> - -<p>“It’s what you meant, all the same.”</p> - -<p>“No; ’tisn’t!” Step insisted.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, what did you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Why, I—well, it’s sort of hard to put into -words, but——”</p> - -<p>“Yes; I guess it is hard,” Poke interrupted.</p> - -<p>Then Sam Parker stepped forward. He had -not been taking a very active part in the discussion, -but had been listening intently.</p> - -<p>“Hold on, fellows!” said he. “This isn’t -getting us anywhere. I suppose we had to -talk this thing out, but now we’ve done it. -All hands know what’s happened to Poke and -why he’s so down in the mouth. We’re sorry -for him, every one of us, but there’s no use -crying over spilt milk or broken vases; and -so——”</p> - -<p>“Hey! Who’s crying?” Poke protested.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s just a figure of speech,” said<span class="pagenum">[222]</span> -Sam. “Forget it, Poke! Let’s get down to -business, everybody. Now, I’m not so all-fired -sure Poke really ought to pay all that -money. The vase ought to have been in a -safer place, if it was so valuable. And I think -that’s Varley’s notion, too; and he’s sort of -posted, as you might say, about a lot of -things.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Varley!” exclaimed Poke, and -glanced about him a little apprehensively.</p> - -<p>“Varley’s out of the way,” Sam went on. -“I guess he understood the club would want -a chance to hold a council of war, for he could -see that something had gone wrong, even if -he didn’t know just what it was.”</p> - -<p>“The Shark’s missing, too,” Herman Boyd -remarked.</p> - -<p>Sam nodded. “So he is. Probably they’ve -strolled off together. That’s all right, though. -The Shark will stand for anything the rest of -us decide to do. It’s a job for all the club, of -course, and——”</p> - -<p>“How do you make that out?” Poke -asked.</p> - -<p>“Easily enough. You broke the vase—that’s -true. But you wouldn’t have broken<span class="pagenum">[223]</span> -it, for you wouldn’t have been at the hotel or -giving a dinner if it hadn’t been that you wanted -to square the club’s account with Varley.”</p> - -<p>“Now you’re talking sense, Sam!” cried -the Trojan.</p> - -<p>“I know I am. And it’s only sensible for -us to treat this thing as hitting the whole -club.... That’s all right, Poke! You -can say it hit you first, but we feel it hit us -afterward. So we ought to pull together, and -we will. Now if we all chip in——”</p> - -<p>“I can put in ten dollars,” said Tom Orkney -promptly.</p> - -<p>“Gee! Wish I could do as well!” cried -Herman Boyd. “Maybe, though, I can -scrape together five or six dollars. I’ve sort -of run ahead of my allowance, or I’d promise -more.”</p> - -<p>“I’m in the same box with Herman,” the -Trojan declared.</p> - -<p>Step coughed uneasily. As the especial -crony of Poke, he really should be taking a -leading part in these measures of financial -relief.</p> - -<p>“Ahem, ahem! I—I—er—er—course you -fellows know where I stand. And I’d give<span class="pagenum">[224]</span> -my eye-teeth to help Poke out of the scrape. -But it just happens I’m awfully short of cash. -But I tell you what I’ll do: I’ll subscribe as -much as the next fellow, and I’ll put it in, if -only I can borrow it somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said Sam hastily, and shook -his head warningly at the Trojan who was -beginning to grin.</p> - -<p>Again Step cleared his throat. “Ahem! -Poke’s folks don’t want to hear about this, -you understand—that is, we don’t want ’em -to hear about it. You see, what with one -thing and another lately—well, things have -been breaking mighty badly for Poke at the -house—things that weren’t really his fault, if -you’d look at ’em right, but that just kept -piling up on him. And so—well, this isn’t -any time for more bad news to arrive.”</p> - -<p>“I should say not!” groaned Poke soulfully.</p> - -<p>Sam had been doing some mental arithmetic. -“Look here, everybody! With what -I can chip in, and what the Shark’ll do, I -feel sure we can raise sixty or seventy dollars. -That ought to be enough for sort of a first -payment.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[225]</span></p> - -<p>“But I ought to make the payment,” Poke -insisted.</p> - -<p>“You can’t,” Sam told him bluntly. -“That’s why we’re going to help you. And -we’ll gain a little time for you to look around -and scheme out ways to get the rest of the -money.”</p> - -<p>In spite of this prospect of problems to -come the face of Poke brightened a trifle. -But it quickly clouded again.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I say, you fellows!” Poke said -sharply. “I’m ready to take help from any -of you, or from all of you—as a loan, of -course; I’ll pay you back—but Varley must -be kept out of this! It—it isn’t his funeral.”</p> - -<p>“Right-o!” Sam agreed.</p> - -<p>“No; this is our party—he’s an outsider!” -chimed in the Trojan.</p> - -<p>The others nodded approval. Here was a -matter purely for the Safety First Club.</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll call so much settled,” quoth -Sam. “But, talking about Varley, where is -he?” He peered hard at the grove of maples, -and turned again to his companions. “I -haven’t a notion where he can be, or the -Shark, either.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[226]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I guess they’ll turn up soon enough,” -said Step. “Nowhere else for them to go, is -there?”</p> - -<p>“Not in this rain.”</p> - -<p>“Rain!” The Trojan caught at the word. -“Rain! Sam, you’ve said it! It’s coming -down, good and plenty. And ain’t it funny -we were all so busy with Poke’s affairs that -we didn’t notice it?”</p> - -<p>This was quite true. So absorbed had the -club been that no heed had been paid by any -of the boys to the steady increase in the rain.</p> - -<p>Again Sam glanced about. “I don’t believe -we ought to stay here any longer. It’s -going to be a job to get back to town, and we -ought to be making a start.”</p> - -<p>As if in answer to a call, Mr. Grant came -out of the camp.</p> - -<p>“Whew! but this is getting to be a reg’lar -wet spell,” he remarked. “And I don’t see -any signs of a let-up. Too bad you boys -should strike such a day to visit Sugar -Valley!”</p> - -<p>“We’re sorry, too, sir,” Sam assured him.</p> - -<p>Mr. Grant looked the group over. “Let’s -see! All here, are you?... No; must<span class="pagenum">[227]</span> -be two-three missing. What’s become of that -little chap with the glasses and the other -fellow who wanted to know all about sugar -making?”</p> - -<p>“They must have gone back, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Umph! Don’t know but they did the -sensible thing. I hadn’t realized how it was -getting to rain.”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t notice, either. And as for -Varley and the Shark—that’s our nickname -for the fellow with the glasses, you know—I -suppose they must have started for the -house?”</p> - -<p>Sam made his statement more than half a -question. Mr. Grant treated it as one.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I guess they must have. They’d -looked around here, and there ain’t much to -see except the camp. Yes; I dare say they’re -toasting their shins by the fire this minute. -And I reckon we might as well follow ’em.”</p> - -<p>Nobody was disposed to delay; nor, for -that matter, was there any lingering on the -way to the farmhouse. Heads bowed to the -storm, collars turned high, hands buried in -pockets, the party splashed across the fields -with Mr. Grant in the lead.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[228]</span></p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant was ready to receive them. She -took absolute command the moment they entered -the door.</p> - -<p>“Get out of your wet things this instant, -every one of you!” she ordered. “Hannah, -you take the overcoats and hang ’em up by -the kitchen stove. And you boys, you get over -by the living-room fire. Mercy me! but you’re -as sopping wet as our old cat was the day he -fell into the cistern. And don’t be afraid to -take off your shoes and dry ’em—wet feet’s -the worst thing that can happen; and I’m not -going to have your mothers think I let company -manners help give you all colds. Yes, -and don’t be bashful about pulling off your -socks if the water got through to ’em. And -Hannah, oh, Hannah! Run up-stairs and -bring down some of Mr. Grant’s socks—bring -enough to go ’round. They’ll be a mite -roomy, maybe, but that won’t matter. And -bring along all the slippers you happen to see.... -Eh, eh? What’s that, now?” Sam -had put a somewhat anxious inquiry when -the lady paused an instant for breath. “The -others, you say? Aren’t they here? No, -they’re not. But which ones do you mean?<span class="pagenum">[229]</span> -Let’s see! Let me take tally.... Oh, I -see now. You mean that queer little one I -thought was looking for dust on the map, and -the other boy—the nice, polite one—not that -you aren’t all polite, of course!” she concluded -hastily.</p> - -<p>Sam’s face lengthened. “We missed them,” -he explained, “but supposed, of course, they’d -started back together.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant shook her head vigorously. -“If they started, they didn’t get here. And -that’s funny, too; for how could they miss -the path? But don’t you worry! They’ll -come straggling in pretty soon, I warrant you. -And they couldn’t come to much harm anywhere -in Sugar Valley. So just you sit down -and make yourself comfortable while you -wait for ’em.” And she gave Sam a friendly -push toward the fire.</p> - -<p>Sam drew his chair close to the hearth, -where most of the other boys already had -taken their places. Both the light and -warmth from the blazing logs were cheering, -and the spirits of the party were improving -rapidly. Thanks to heavy outer jackets, -and high overshoes, they had come through<span class="pagenum">[230]</span> -their experience better than anybody unused -to rough weather outfits might have supposed -to be possible; but it was comforting, nevertheless, -to toast for a little before the fire. -Then Mrs. Grant, who had her own theories -as to the wants and tastes of boys, brought in -a huge dish of doughnuts and another of crullers, -while Hannah bore a great pitcher of -lemonade.</p> - -<p>“Just a snack, you know,” the hostess declared. -“A bite or two to tide you over and -take away that tired feeling.”</p> - -<p>In view of the tremendous dinner, this -luncheon might have been thought a little -premature, but every member of the Safety -First Club then present helped himself to a -doughnut or cruller, and did this most willingly. -Poke, in spite of his sorrows, especially -distinguished himself; but even Sam -was no laggard in performance. Still, his -sense of responsibility for all of the party -wasn’t dulled.</p> - -<p>The rain was falling more heavily than -ever—of this he could be sure from its beating -on the windows. Mrs. Grant, too, was -observant of the weather.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[231]</span></p> - -<p>“Boys,” she declared, “you can’t drive -back to town this afternoon in that open -sleigh. Why, you’d be drowned out! I just -won’t let you go. Be no trouble to take care -of you over night. My, but this old house -has room enough for as many more, and then -a few extras.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, ma’am, but I think we’d better -go back,” said Sam.</p> - -<p>“Fiddlesticks and fiddledeedee! ’Twon’t -make a mite of bother to us to keep you over -night. And I vow I just thought of it! I -want you to stay and try Hannah’s waffles -for breakfast—waffles with maple syrup, of -course.”</p> - -<p>At that Poke sighed, audibly and longingly. -Step grinned, and the Trojan laughed outright. -Sam, though, was serious.</p> - -<p>“We really ought to be starting. If only -those other fellows were here—— But how -does it look, Lon? Any signs of clearing -up?”</p> - -<p>Lon, who had just returned from a weather -observation from the porch, shook his head.</p> - -<p>“No; closin’ in thicker’n ever. And rainin’ -to beat the cars!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[232]</span></p> - -<p>“What did I tell you!” cried Mrs. Grant -triumphantly. “Of course you’ll stay here -all night. The traveling now would be -awful.”</p> - -<p>“Wal, ma’am, that depends on what you’re -used to,” Lon remarked calmly. “Old Noah, -now, he might say this was jest layin’ the -dust nice and comfortable. Or a hornpout -might call it pretty fair goin’. But for folks -that ain’t had sich advantages of experience -or nat’ral capacity—wal, I guess it’s safe to -figger they would call the travelin’ jest about -awful, as you was sayin’, ma’am.”</p> - -<p>“But we ought to go back,” Sam insisted.</p> - -<p>“Yes; I reckon we ought,” Lon agreed, -but with no heartiness.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” declared Mrs. Grant.</p> - -<p>Sam went to a window, and peered out. -He saw nothing to cheer him, and turned -back, with an anxious frown on his face.</p> - -<p>“What in the world can be keeping Varley -and the Shark? And where can they have -strayed?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, they ought to be along presently,” -Mrs. Grant comforted. “Two able-bodied,<span class="pagenum">[233]</span> -wide-awake boys won’t come to harm in -Sugar Valley.”</p> - -<p>“No, ma’am,” said Sam mechanically, but -his expression of anxiety did not lessen. The -afternoon was wearing away. In an hour or -two more the light, not too strong now, would -be fading; and the night promised to be as -black as one’s hat. And, meanwhile, the -Shark and Varley ought to be turning up!</p> - -<p>“They won’t come to harm,” Mrs. Grant -repeated emphatically. “But, all the same, -they ought to be here. Just wait a minute, -though.”</p> - -<p>Out of the room she hurried, and, presently, -there was the call of a telephone bell from -the hall. Sam impatiently awaited the results. -There was a considerable delay. Evidently -Mrs. Grant was talking with more than -one of her neighbors over the wire.</p> - -<p>When she came back to the living-room, -her expression bore a trace of perplexity.</p> - -<p>“I do declare, but it’s amazing queer! Nobody, -up the road or down, has seen anything, -or heard anything, of those two boys. And I -did suppose that they’d put in somewhere, to -wait for a let-up in the rain. But everybody<span class="pagenum">[234]</span> -along here is on the line, and I’ve called ’em -all, and nothing comes of it.”</p> - -<p>Sam glanced at his watch. “I’m afraid -something’s gone wrong,” he said. “Varley’s -sort of a tenderfoot, and the Shark—well, he’s -posted well enough, but he’s as likely as not -to get to figuring on something, and then how -can you tell what he’d do, or not do?”</p> - -<p>Step spoke sharply. “Say, there’s the river! -It must be high, and if either or both of them -fell in——”</p> - -<p>He had no need to finish the sentence. -Mrs. Grant uttered an exclamation; the boys -moved uneasily; even Lon seemed to be impressed -by the suggestion.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott, but we’d ought to thought o’ -that sooner! Any boys is footless, sometimes, -and if you’d tried to pair up a queer mated -couple, you couldn’t ’a’ picked a more uncertain -combination o’ performers than the Shark -and that Varley lad’d make.”</p> - -<p>“That—that’s so, Lon,” Sam agreed heavily.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant took the floor again. “Don’t -get flustered! I’ve got an idea. Wait, everybody, -till I see how it can be worked.”</p> - -<p>Once more she hurried into the hall, and<span class="pagenum">[235]</span> -again there were sounds to indicate that she -was busy at the telephone. Ten minutes -passed—and to Sam they seemed to be very -dragging minutes—before she returned, and -addressed him.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ve made a good beginning on the -idea, all right. I’ve called up your folks in -town, young man, and I’ve had a talk with -your mother. She understood things—I knew -she would, for I guess she’s a good, sensible -woman, seeing the sort of son she’s got. And -she saw at once what an awful trip back -you’d have. And she said I could keep you -over night, and she’d call up all the other -mothers and let ’em know you were all right. -And so that part of it’s fixed. Now we come -to the next part. You’re so uneasy about -those strayaways that you’d be hopping -around like corn in a popper if you couldn’t -go hunting ’em. And I guess I’d be hopping, -too, if you weren’t trying to find ’em. For -they ought to have shown up long ago. And -with Mr. Grant to help, and the hired man—why, -we ought to be able to know something -mighty quick. So, if that’s your idea, too, -and if you’re ready——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[236]</span></p> - -<p>“If!” Sam shouted, and sprang to his feet. -“If? Why, ma’am, I’ve been aching to go -for the last hour!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess you ain’t lonesome in that,” -said Mrs. Grant briskly.</p> - -<p>The other boys, and Lon and Mr. Grant, for -that matter, had risen almost as quickly as -Sam himself.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant looked the group over, and -nodded approvingly.</p> - -<p>“No; there ain’t a lagger in the lot,” she -said with conviction. “And there’s just one -thing I don’t like about it; and that is that -Hannah and I can’t go along with you.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[237]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE HOUSE OF REFUGE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Paul Varley was sorely shaken by his -plunge into the depths of the ancient cellar. -He struck its floor so heavily, indeed, that -the breath seemed to be driven from his -body.</p> - -<p>For a little he lay, motionless and half -stunned. Then, his brain clearing, and, be -it said, his general sense of numbness giving -place to a number of distinct aches and pangs, -he groaned, raised himself on an elbow, sat up, -and tried to peer about him.</p> - -<p>The movements had accentuated the pains. -Paul groaned again. Even at that moment, -though, the greatest of his troubles was the -gloom in which he found himself.</p> - -<p>Except for the pale patch of light above his -head, indicating the break in the flooring of -the room he had first entered, everything -was in darkness; not an even darkness, but<span class="pagenum">[238]</span> -patchy, lumpy, with weird suggestions of -shadowy and grotesque shapes.</p> - -<p>Experimentally Paul drew up a knee, and -found that the joint was in working order. -He stretched out his arms. One of them was -lame and sore, but he appeared to have escaped -broken bones. Encouraged slightly, he -tested his other leg, closing the test with a -vigorous kick. His foot encountered an obstacle, -and a voice spoke in the darkness.</p> - -<p>“Hi there! What do you think you’re -doing?”</p> - -<p>It was a startled voice, and a wrathful -voice. The sound of it gave Paul an instant -of dazed bewilderment. His wits were -working, but he hadn’t recalled the circumstance -that he was not alone in his misadventure.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” he gasped. “Oh—oh, you’re there, -then?”</p> - -<p>“Naturally!” The Shark’s tone was no -milder than before.</p> - -<p>“And—and are you hurt?”</p> - -<p>“Huh! What do you suppose?”</p> - -<p>“But—but are you?”</p> - -<p>“There are some statements,” said the<span class="pagenum">[239]</span> -Shark grimly, “which should not need to -be made. That’s one of ’em.”</p> - -<p>“I’m mighty sorry. I—I ought to have -known.”</p> - -<p>The contrition in Varley’s tone had its -effect.</p> - -<p>“Huh!” grunted the Shark, but less -aggressively. “Huh! Certain causes are -bound to produce certain results. I’m hurt—yes. -I’m all banged up. But thank the -stars! the worst didn’t happen. I haven’t -broken ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Your legs, you mean?”</p> - -<p>“No; my glasses!” snapped the Shark. -“I’m like a bat if anything happens to -them.”</p> - -<p>“I understand. But how about the rest of -you—the legs and arms, I mean?”</p> - -<p>There was a brief pause, as if the Shark -might be taking account of stock, so to speak.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m lame in one foot or ankle—can’t -be sure which,” he reported. “And I’m sore -in one shoulder—must have landed on it. -Otherwise, though, I guess I’m all right. I—ugh! -Say, that hurt!”</p> - -<p>By hearing rather than by sight Varley<span class="pagenum">[240]</span> -knew that the Shark was getting upon his -feet. He followed the example; also he -imitated the exclamation.</p> - -<p>“Ouch! Whew! Say, I’ve got my troubles, -too.”</p> - -<p>There was a moment’s silence; then Varley -spoke again:</p> - -<p>“It’s queer—I don’t know what’s the -matter, but I—I’m sort of dizzy, and—and -choking, and—and——”</p> - -<p>“It’s getting me, too,” the Shark agreed. -“Hold on, though! I’ve got an idea.”</p> - -<p>There was the faint click of the catch of a -metal match-box. Then a tiny flame showed. -By its feeble light Varley made out what were -the vague shapes that had seemed like heavier -shadows, piles of old barrels and boxes, the -usual accumulation of odds and ends in a -cellar. Then the sickly flame died down.</p> - -<p>“Humph! That’s it, fast enough,” said -the Shark. “Bad air—like the air in a well -or a cave that’s been closed up. Match won’t -burn in it. Guess we’d better get out.”</p> - -<p>Varley was beginning to have difficulty in -breathing.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott, but I—I never was in such a<span class="pagenum">[241]</span> -place!” he panted. “So close—so stuffy—so -sour—so—so——”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Bet you there hasn’t been a window -or door of this cellar opened in my time -or yours. And not nearly enough air’d seep -in to keep it sweet. And as for getting out—well, -I guess we’d best go the way we came.”</p> - -<p>With that he put his hands above his head, -and groped for the edge of the broken flooring. -Luckily, the ancient cellar was not deep. -The Shark failed to get a grip, but Varley, -who was taller, succeeded where he failed.</p> - -<p>“Give me a leg up,” Paul directed, and -the Shark obeyed. The effort was painful. -Plucky fellow though he was, he couldn’t -quite repress a groan. Varley uttered another, -and another, as he raised himself; -bettered his hold on the ragged ends of the -boards; found them fragile as well as ragged; -tore away fragments of the rotten wood; -gained the stouter support of a beam, which -appeared still to be sound; called upon the -Shark for renewed and redoubled effort; -exerted all his waning strength, and, at last, -slowly and with difficulty, drew his body to -the comparative safety of the floor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[242]</span></p> - -<p>Apparently most of the remaining boards -were still sound enough to support his weight, -though they creaked dismally, while he bent -down and extended a helping hand to the -Shark.</p> - -<p>It was a fortunate thing for the young -adventurers that the Shark was light. Varley, -as it was, found his work cut out for him, -especially as both he and his companion still -felt the effects of the foul air of the cellar. -By dint of their utmost joint endeavors the -Shark finally half climbed, half was dragged, -through the opening. Then he tried to struggle -to his knees, but pitched forward and lay -helpless and exhausted. Varley, in almost -as grievous plight, laid hold upon his collar -and began to drag him toward the window.</p> - -<p>Experiences were crowding thick and fast -upon the city youth, but he was rising to the -emergency and proving the mettle that was in -him. It was a hard task, desperately hard, -to cover the few feet which lay between the -gap in the floor and the wall. Varley gritted -his teeth, and pulled and tugged at the Shark, -and gained inch by inch. But when the -window had been reached, he slumped upon<span class="pagenum">[243]</span> -the floor beside his comrade, and lay there, -panting heavily.</p> - -<p>Luckily the sash was still raised, and -through the opening the fresh, damp air was -pouring into the room. The Shark was the -first to show its revivifying effects. He -moved, lifted himself on an elbow. Varley, -after a little, raised his head. The eyes of the -two met.</p> - -<p>The Shark nodded solemnly. “Much -obliged. Good work. You’re all right. I -won’t forget it.” His voice was faint, but there -was more than a hint of his usual crisp speech.</p> - -<p>With some difficulty Paul sat up. So did -the Shark. There was a long pause, each regarding -the other steadily. Suddenly Varley -spoke:</p> - -<p>“We’re lucky—to get out of that.” He -jerked his head in the direction of the yawning -hole in the floor.</p> - -<p>“Sure!” responded the Shark. “You see -how it was? Cellar’s been shut up tight, so -the air goes bad. Read about such things. -Knew something was happening to us, but it -needed the way the match failed to burn to -give me a hint of what it was.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[244]</span></p> - -<p>“I understand. But—but what next?”</p> - -<p>Cautiously and with a manner of not being -over-sure of himself, the Shark stood up. He -peered out of the window, and shook his -head.</p> - -<p>“Worse than it was,” he made report. -“Raining harder than ever. And say! I’m -pretty wet.”</p> - -<p>Varley, too, got upon his feet. A glance -through the dingy panes sufficed. The Shark -had not exaggerated the weather conditions -outside.</p> - -<p>“Well, what ought we to do?” Paul inquired. -“Pile out into it?”</p> - -<p>The Shark shook his head decidedly. “No; -not just yet. I’m too nearly all in. Got to -have a chance to pull myself together and get -my second wind.”</p> - -<p>Varley shivered. “This—this is a pretty -tough place to stay.”</p> - -<p>“We can help things a lot.”</p> - -<p>“How?” Paul asked incredulously.</p> - -<p>“There’s a fireplace yonder. We have -matches. There’s a lot of dry stuff we can -burn.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, but——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[245]</span></p> - -<p>“There’s no ‘but’ about it. We’ve got a -roof over our heads. We can have a fire. We -will have one, and we’ll dry off, while we wait -a while to see if the weather doesn’t change.”</p> - -<p>“But the rest of the crowd? They’ll be -wanting to start back to town.”</p> - -<p>“They won’t start in an open sleigh in such -a downpour.”</p> - -<p>“But they won’t know where we are.”</p> - -<p>“Huh! We don’t know just where they -are this minute, either.”</p> - -<p>Paul hesitated. “Why—why, if we could -get word to ’em——”</p> - -<p>Plainly, the Shark was rapidly becoming -himself again, for he grunted scornfully. -“Ugh! No telephone, no message. That’s -all there is to it. May as well take things as -they are and make the best of ’em.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose that’s so,” Paul admitted, -ruefully. Making the best of a long deserted -house did not appear to him to offer much of -promise.</p> - -<p>The Shark limped back to the break in the -floor. He moved with caution, and came to -no harm. Apparently the floor was in fair -condition except at the spot where it had given<span class="pagenum">[246]</span> -way beneath their weight. The Shark offered -an explanation:</p> - -<p>“Umph! Must have been a patch of dry-rot, -and we struck it. Happens that way -sometimes—don’t know the reason. But they -built for keeps, the old fellows did, and this -old shack’ll stand nobody knows how much -longer. Now let’s see what we can do for -kindling.”</p> - -<p>Bending down, he laid hold upon one of the -fractured boards. The wood yielded to the -pull, and he ripped off a piece a foot or more -in length and two or three inches across. A -second tug yielded a slightly smaller piece.</p> - -<p>Varley was observing the proceedings wonderingly.</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean to say, do you, that you -can make a fire with that stuff?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“I can start one,” quoth the Shark. “Got -to get something else to keep her going.”</p> - -<p>“Where can you get it?”</p> - -<p>The Shark nodded at the hole in the floor. -“Down there. Lot of junk lying around. -Saw it while the match was flickering.”</p> - -<p>Varley’s face lengthened. “What! You’d -risk it in that cellar again?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[247]</span></p> - -<p>“I’d risk more than that for a fire. Need -it in my business, and need it quick.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you’re not going down there,” said -Varley with decision.</p> - -<p>The Shark peered at him. “Huh? I’m -not? How you make that out?”</p> - -<p>“Because I’m going down. Look here! -Whoever goes ought not to stay there long. -It’ll be a case of grabbing up stuff that’ll burn -and passing it up to the other fellow. Now, -I’ve got longer arms and legs than you have. -I can reach farther. When it comes to getting -out, I can get a grip on the floor, and you can -lend a hand from above. The air below won’t -be good, but it’ll be no worse than it was before. -Maybe it’ll be a little better—perhaps -some fresh air will leak down through the -hole. But I can work the trick, and I can -work it better than you could, because I’m -better built for it.”</p> - -<p>The Shark paused in the operation of splitting -one of the pieces of board. He blinked -at Varley for a moment.</p> - -<p>“Hanged if I thought you had it in you!” -he said frankly. “Oh, I don’t mean the -courage—that’s common enough. I mean<span class="pagenum">[248]</span> -the gumption—the head-piece—the sense to -figure it out. What you say’s all true; you’re -better built for the job. So you may do it. -And—well, you might as well go to it.”</p> - -<p>Varley needed no urging. He lowered -himself through the opening, and dropped to -the floor of the cellar. The Shark struck <a id="BRef_248" href="#Ref_248">another -of his precious matches</a>, and held it like -a tiny torch to guide the forager. There was -draft enough to make it flicker wildly, but -the same air currents did Varley a good -turn.</p> - -<div id="Ref_248" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i255.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center"><a href="#BRef_248">ANOTHER OF HIS PRECIOUS MATCHES</a></p></div> -</div> - -<p>He told himself that there was a perceptible -freshening of the atmosphere in the old cellar. -The place certainly was still one in -which he would not have cared to linger, but -as he scrambled to a pile of rubbish, and -caught up an armful, his breathing, though -quickened, was not difficult. What he collected -he could no more than guess, for the -match flame hardly lightened the shadows. -By feeling rather than by sight he knew that -it was wood upon which he laid hands. Then -the Shark had caught the load, and Varley -was back for another, which followed the first -through the opening. Then down shot the<span class="pagenum">[249]</span> -Shark’s arm, and a hand closed on Paul’s -collar.</p> - -<p>“That’s enough to begin with. You come -up—while the coming’s good!”</p> - -<p>The Shark’s tone was gruff, but, somehow, -Varley knew there was approval in it. With -right good will he obeyed the order; and with -the other’s aid he was soon back in the room. -His hands were bleeding from sliver wounds, -and his clothes were torn, but his spirits were -rising rapidly.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Good work!” grunted the Shark. -“Stuff’ll burn.”</p> - -<p>Varley glanced at his plunder. It included -barrel staves, broken for the most part; short -lengths of board; a stick or two of split fire-wood; -all coated with dust and cobwebs, -which had accumulated in the course of -many years.</p> - -<p>“Sure it’ll burn,” he declared. “It ought -to be as dry as tinder.”</p> - -<p>The Shark knelt by the hearth and made a -little pyramid of shavings, topped with bits -of board. Then he struck another match; -the shavings ignited; a yellow flame showed, -and above it rose a curl of smoke.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[250]</span></p> - -<p>Deftly the Shark brought forward more -wood, and added it to the pile. The flames -spread, and so, for that matter, did the smoke, -which belched from the fireplace into the -room.</p> - -<p>“Got—got to wait for the chimney to -warm,” gasped the Shark. “Always the way.... -Whew! but that was a smotherer!”</p> - -<p>A cloud of smoke had driven fairly in his -face. Coughing, he retreated, until he could -clear his lungs. Then he came back valorously -and played stoker.</p> - -<p>The fire began to burn more vigorously, and -the flue to do its appointed part. There was -less smoke, and more light in the room. Varley -made his first deliberate inspection of their -refuge.</p> - -<p>The ceiling was very low; he could touch it -by raising his hand. The walls were grimy -and spotted. Big beams showed at the corners. -The fireplace was a rough, but substantial, -affair, smoke blackened. The pieces of -furniture he had noticed on first entering -were decrepit with age. The table lacked a -leg; the settle sagged at one end; the chest of -drawers was a ruin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[251]</span></p> - -<p>The Shark was taking off his overcoat, and -unbuckling his high overshoes. From both -shoes and coat steam was rising as they caught -the heat from the fire.</p> - -<p>Varley followed his companion’s example. -As he removed his shoes, he whistled softly. -The guaranteed waterproofing had not been -up to the requirements of such a test as it had -undergone.</p> - -<p>The Shark sat down on the floor; so did -Varley. Each clasped his hands about his -knees, and stared at the fire. It was crackling -merrily, but not loudly enough to drown -the sounds of the rain dashing against the old -house.</p> - -<p>There was a long pause before either spoke. -Then said Varley, ruminatively:</p> - -<p>“I guess you were right—a fire does help -things a lot. I shouldn’t have thought of it. -Still, this is a new game for me, this knocking -about in the wilds; and it’s an old story for -you.”</p> - -<p>“Not so very old,” corrected the Shark. -“Had a taste of it while ago, up in the big -woods. Time our crowd got caught in a blizzard -we found an old shack, and took possession.<span class="pagenum">[252]</span> -And the first thing we did was to start -a fire. And maybe we didn’t need it! Cold? -It was! How cold? Huh! Some of the -fellows were talking about thirty below. No -thermometer along, though—pity! Man -ought to travel equipped for taking notes. -And a good, registered thermometer’d be a -great comfort. So’d a barometer, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Why—why, very likely.”</p> - -<p>The Shark shook his head. “Trouble is, -folks don’t realize the need of precision. -They’ll make a guess at the temperature, and -let it go at that. Bah!”</p> - -<p>Varley, not knowing what response to -make, said nothing.</p> - -<p>The Shark resumed his staring at the fire. -There was another pause, even longer than -that which had gone before. Varley at last -pulled out his watch, and uttered an exclamation -of vexation.</p> - -<p>“Thunder! The thing’s stopped—must -have been caused by that fall. What time do -you suppose it is?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t know. Left my watch at home to-day,” -said the Shark.</p> - -<p>Varley sprang up—then groaned at the<span class="pagenum">[253]</span> -pangs he suffered as the result of his incautious -haste of movement. He looked out of -the window, his face lengthening.</p> - -<p>“Cracky! but it’s getting mighty dark! -And the rain’s fairly coming down in buckets. -I can’t see any distance. But unless I’m -amazingly mistaken—say, look here, will -you?”</p> - -<p>The Shark joined him.</p> - -<p>“What’s that out there? Looks like a -regular lake!” Paul cried.</p> - -<p>The Shark made deliberate inspection. -Close to the old house was now an expanse of -water, probably not very deep, but certainly -of considerable area.</p> - -<p>“Back-water!” was the Shark’s verdict.</p> - -<p>“Back-water?” Paul repeated doubtfully.</p> - -<p>“From the river. It’s over its bank at -some low spot, and the water has spread out. -It fills up the low places, of course, and this -house seems to stand on a little rise. Very -likely we’re surrounded.”</p> - -<p>“Cut off, you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Not if we want to wade out.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! Wade?” Varley did not look happy -at the prospect.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[254]</span></p> - -<p>The Shark studied the scene—so far as it -could be made out in the dim light.</p> - -<p>“Umph! Must be getting late,” he remarked -coolly. “Don’t know that a wading -job would be any wetter than a walk. Still, -would either pay? We’re all right here. -There’s more wood for the fire to be had down -cellar.... Um, u-m-m! Maybe it’d be -wisest to let well enough alone.”</p> - -<p>“And stay here?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! For a while, anyway, till the rain -lessens, and that pond has a chance to drain -off.”</p> - -<p>“But will it drain off?”</p> - -<p>The Shark shrugged his shoulders. “Nobody -knows.”</p> - -<p>Varley deliberated for a moment. “But -how about the rest of the crowd? What’ll -they be thinking?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t know. I’m no mind reader.”</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - -<p>“But what can we do about it?” the Shark -broke in. “We can wade out of this and be -like two drowned rats for wetness, or we can -stay here.”</p> - -<p>“All night?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[255]</span></p> - -<p>“If necessary. Nothing to hurt us, is -there?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Paul reluctantly. “But I wish -we—well, I wish we could get word to the -others.”</p> - -<p>The Shark grunted. Then he limped to -the fireplace and gave the fire a poke with a -stick. Flames shot higher, illuminating the -room.</p> - -<p>“This suits me better than what’s waiting -for us outside,” he said, and dropped to his -old place on the floor.</p> - -<p>Paul joined him.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” said the city youth, after a -little. “Tell you, I never knew before what -a comfort a fire could be!”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[256]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">BLIND TRAILS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>From closets and sheds and attics Mrs. -Grant produced an amazing supply of rubber -coats and boots, oilskins and sou’westers.</p> - -<p>“Here, now, boys, fit yourselves out,” she -directed. “Or, if you can’t fit yourselves, -come the nearest you can. Most of these -things Mr. Grant has used one time or another, -but they’ll turn water more or less. -And looks won’t count—there’ll be nobody to -see you. And you’ll find the other boys, of -course, and when you do, bring ’em right here. -And then we’ll have a good, hot supper, and -everybody’ll feel better.”</p> - -<p>This was spoken bravely enough; but it -was clear that Mrs. Grant was worried, if not -greatly alarmed, by the absence of Varley and -the Shark. Sam and his friends made haste -to equip themselves. In two or three cases -high overshoes were esteemed sufficient protection<span class="pagenum">[257]</span> -for the feet, but the other boys were -glad to turn to boots. Every boy found something -in the shape of a rain-coat; for the -downpour out-of-doors made all possible covering -desirable. Some of the garments were -grotesquely large for the wearers, but nobody -made a joke of this. In fact, the club was -quite of opinion that real work lay before the -searchers.</p> - -<p>Sam noticed that while Mr. Grant sent a -farm-hand to the barn with orders to harness -a horse, the farmer himself proposed to accompany -the party on foot. There was a -little consultation on the porch.</p> - -<p>“We ought to scatter, of course,” Mr. Grant -declared. “Some can scout up the road, and -some down. Others can strike across lots to -the sugar camp and spread out from there. -Then, if need be, I can send down to the foot -of the valley for news. A rig’ll be ready to -go.”</p> - -<p>Nobody made answer for a moment. A -trip to the foot of the valley would mean that -there was reason to believe the Shark and -Varley had fallen into the river and been -carried down-stream.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[258]</span></p> - -<p>“I—I hope that won’t be necessary,” Sam -said at last, unsteadily.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think it will be,” Mr. Grant encouraged. -“I’ve been figuring on this business, -and it seems to me the chances are that -those youngsters strayed away from the camp, -lost their bearings, and when the rain increased -took to any shelter they could find. -With the weather as thick as it is, it wouldn’t -be hard for them to miss their way. Of -course, if they kept their heads, they’d steer -for higher ground, knowing that sooner or -later they’d come to a road. But boys will -be boys—and there’s the river, of course. We -can’t forget that.”</p> - -<p>Sam nodded. “We’re not forgetting it, sir. -And as for keeping their heads—well, one of -those fellows is a stranger to all this sort of -thing, but the other’s as cool as they make -’em. That’s the part that sets me worrying -most: the Shark’s not likely to go wool-gathering -unless he gets interested in some -of his calculations.”</p> - -<p>“He’d have trouble in finding a slate to do -his ciphering out yonder.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, the Shark wouldn’t need slates or<span class="pagenum">[259]</span> -paper. His head’s good enough for him. -But—but don’t you think we’d better start, -sir?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Mr. Grant briskly.</p> - -<p>It was left to Sam, as the recognized leader -of the club, to allot the tasks. Poke and Step -he told off to follow the road up the valley, -with instructions to make inquiries at each -house on the way. The Trojan and Herman -Boyd were to scout down the road. Mr. Grant -went with Lon, Orkney and Sam himself to -the sugar camp.</p> - -<p>The tramp across the fields gave plenty of -evidences of the rapidity with which the thaw -was progressing. The lowlands were fairly -afloat, and the line of march led through pools, -some of which were more than ankle deep.</p> - -<p>Arriving at the camp, Sam shouted lustily, -but there was no response. Again heads were -put together for a consultation. It resulted -in a scattering of the party through the maple -grove, each of the searchers looking for tracks -in the melting snow.</p> - -<p>In this several difficulties were encountered. -To begin with, Mr. Grant and his helpers had -been busy about the place for some days, and<span class="pagenum">[260]</span> -near the building footprints were only too -numerous. Then, too, the heavy rain made -it hard to tell fresh tracks from old. It was -Lon Gates who suggested an improvement in -their method of search.</p> - -<p>“This ain’t gettin’ us nowhere, folks. We’re -like fellers in one o’ them mazes you read -about, that’s jest a puzzle and bewilderment. -Let’s get out of it, and skirmish round the -edges o’ things. If the boys scooted off, they -scooted somewhere; and we ought to be able -to pick up the trail where it ain’t all tangled -up with half a dozen others and I dunno how -many more.”</p> - -<p>Following this suggestion, they made a -circuit of the “Island.” It revealed no less -than four trails, any one of which might be -the one they sought.</p> - -<p>One led down the valley; two others toward -the river; the fourth headed up-stream. With -the drive of the rain sharp outlines had been -obliterated.</p> - -<p>Lon studied the impressions closely.</p> - -<p>“I ain’t no Apache tracker, and I dunno’s -it would help things much if I was; but if -you want my guess, it’s that more’n one feller<span class="pagenum">[261]</span> -went this way.” He nodded at a trail leading -toward the river.</p> - -<p>Mr. Grant inclined to believe that the -down-valley trail was more promising. The -boys hesitated, frankly unable to form an intelligent -opinion.</p> - -<p>“Well, we can try both,” said the farmer. -“I’ll take this chap”—he nodded at Orkney—“and -you two can go the other road.”</p> - -<p>Nobody else had a better plan to offer. Mr. -Grant and Orkney plodded off down the valley, -and Lon and Sam headed for the river.</p> - -<p>For a little way the marks they followed -were fairly plain. That is, it was quite evident -that one or more persons had passed that -way, though how long before was pure guesswork. -Then, presently, they came to a low, -swampy tract; and here among hummocks -and pools and dense patches of bushes the -trail lost itself.</p> - -<p>“No use, Sam!” Lon growled, as he stumbled -over a root, and barely escaped a fall. -“If those two young idiots were steering for -anything in partic’lar, it’d be the river. -Come on! We’ll try for a short cut.”</p> - -<p>With that he broke through the thicket,<span class="pagenum">[262]</span> -and Sam pressed after him. In a few minutes -more they were on the bank of the stream, -peering eagerly about them.</p> - -<p>So heavy was the pouring rain that it was -hardly possible to make out clearly the fringe -of trees along the opposite side of the river. -The swift current was racing along, its surface -dotted with masses of ice and now and then a -floating log.</p> - -<p>“Umph! Gettin’ up, Sam, gettin’ up this -brook is!” quoth Lon. “And somebody up-river’s -losin’ his cord-wood. And I say now—jest -look at that, will ye?”</p> - -<p>Sam looked. He made out the object at -which Lon was pointing, but at first was uncertain -what it might be.</p> - -<p>“Chicken coop,” Lon explained. “And -that thing bobbin’ up and down yonder’s a -packin’ case, or I miss my guess. Bet you -they’re havin’ doin’s up above!”</p> - -<p>Sam was doing his best to master every -feature of the scene; but most of all he was -seeking traces of his missing friends.</p> - -<p>“I can’t see anything—anything of the -boys,” he complained. “I don’t believe they -came this way.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[263]</span></p> - -<p>Lon grinned wrily. “Don’t see why they -should ’a’ wanted to, if they had the wits they -was born with. And if we’ve got ours left, -there ain’t no jest cause and impediment why -we shouldn’t move on.”</p> - -<p>“Which way?”</p> - -<p>Lon considered briefly. “My notion is we -might as well go back to the camp, and pick -up another of the trails. There’s nothin’ to -show that those fellows strayed here. But -what in time made ’em drift away from the -rest of the crowd, anyway?”</p> - -<p>Sam couldn’t offer reasonable explanation. -Lon grunted:</p> - -<p>“Ugh! Been a boy myself, and had the -benefit of your society, Sam, to keep my hand -in, but hanged if I can make out why boys’ll -do things that wouldn’t get a vote at an -election in a lunatic asylum! But that ain’t -gettin’ us nowhere or nohow. Let’s go back!”</p> - -<p>They splashed through the puddles, plowed -through the snow where it still lay deep, -broke a way through the swampy thickets. -Both, it may be, were in hopes of seeing Mr. -Grant and Orkney at the camp, but nobody -was in sight near the building.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[264]</span></p> - -<p>Lon now turned attention to the trail leading -up the valley.</p> - -<p>“I dunno’s this is more promisin’, but I -can’t say it’s any less. Maybe it’s fresher—must -say, though, they all look a lot alike to -me. And when you don’t know anything -about a thing, why——”</p> - -<p>“Hullo!” Sam broke in. “Here comes -Orkney!”</p> - -<p>Tom was hurrying along at the best pace -he could make in his big, borrowed rubber -boots. There was a look of anxiety on his -face, but he spoke quietly when he joined -Sam and Lon.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Grant told me to look you up. No; -I’ve no news—that is, we didn’t find anything. -But when we got a look at the river, -Mr. Grant decided he’d send his man down to -the foot of the valley at once. So he made a -short cut for the house, and I started to hunt -you up. I’ll work with you.”</p> - -<p>“Then——” Sam began unsteadily.</p> - -<p>“Don’t jump to the conclusion that Mr. -Grant thinks Varley and the Shark have been -carried down-stream. Only the river is a lot -higher than he expected to find it, and the<span class="pagenum">[265]</span> -current’s swifter. So he is going to send his -man down to the bridges. But he thought it -might be well for you to scout the other way. -I’ll help. I suppose he’ll follow us later.”</p> - -<p>“Umph! Can’t be much later if he means -to ketch up with us before dark,” Lon observed.</p> - -<p>There was point to the remark. The -gloomy afternoon was shading into a twilight -which gave promise of a pitchy night -to follow. The rain still fell in undiminished -volume. At any other time Sam might -have laughed at the picture made by his companions. -Lon’s “slicker” and Tom’s heavy -mackintosh ran little streams in every wrinkle, -while others dripped briskly from the brims -of their head-gear.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” Sam said impatiently.</p> - -<p>This time they were on the right trail, -though, of course, none of the three could -know it. It was easily followed until it -brought them to the point on the river bank -where Varley and the Shark had halted for a -time; but there they lost it. The drenched -thickets hid footprints, and the growing darkness -was a steadily increasing handicap.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[266]</span></p> - -<p>Lon frowned in perplexity. “I swan, but -I don’t like this!” he declared. “This -river’s practically bank full and sloppin’ -over. Look there!” He pointed to a little -stream which was finding its way across a -low spot on the shore. “This is goin’ to be -jest one big frog pond before long, or I’ll eat -my hat.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s go a little farther, anyway!” Sam -urged.</p> - -<p>“With you there, Sam!” cried Lon readily -enough.</p> - -<p>“Of course—only thing to do,” said Orkney -curtly.</p> - -<p>They went on, following the bank. As a -matter of fact, the footing there was better -than it was at a greater distance from the -stream; for here was one of the low-lying, -swampy patches, which were actually lower -than the dike-like ridge along the river. At -the best, though, progress was slow. There -were tangles of brush; there were gullies, -now turned into channels for the water; there -were spots where the snow had given place to -a sticky and treacherous mire.</p> - -<p>Now and then one or the other of the<span class="pagenum">[267]</span> -searchers shouted lustily. It can hardly be -said that an answer was expected, but after -each hail there was a halt, in which the three -strained their ears. Perhaps this was because -their eyes could pierce the gloom for but a -little way.</p> - -<p>How far this slow and difficult march continued -it would have been hard for any of -the little party to estimate. They might -have covered a mile; it might not be a half-mile.</p> - -<p>Lon, who was in the lead, suddenly pulled -up.</p> - -<p>“Boys,” he said, “I hate to give up, but is -there any use holdin’ on longer? It’s gettin’ -powerful dark; the rain’s wuss than ever; -we dunno but Varley and the Shark are this -minute toastin’ their toes by Mis’ Grant’s fire. -Besides, we’ve got to have lanterns if we’re -goin’ to poke around this way. ’Tain’t altogether -a question now of findin’ somebody -else; it’s gettin’ to be a question o’ keepin’ -ourselves from gettin’ lost. What say, Sam?”</p> - -<p>Sam hesitated, glancing at Orkney. What -Lon had said was true enough. Still, he was -extremely reluctant to abandon or even to<span class="pagenum">[268]</span> -interrupt the hunt. Orkney, too, appeared -to be of this opinion, if Sam interpreted -rightly the look on his face.</p> - -<p>“Well, Lon,” Sam began doubtfully; “of -course——”</p> - -<p>There he broke off, abruptly; clapped a hand -to his ear; bent forward, listening eagerly.</p> - -<p>“What’s that sound? Catch it? Something -mighty queer about it.”</p> - -<p>Sam’s voice had been shaking with excitement. -Orkney’s answer was not free of the -same note:</p> - -<p>“I hear it. I—I never heard anything -else just like it. ’Tisn’t just like a rustle, -or a rumble, or—or I don’t know what to -call it. But I make it out fast enough!”</p> - -<p>“Umph! So do I—now,” said Lon sharply.</p> - -<p>The sound, by this time, was clearly to be -distinguished from the steady and monotonous -beat of the rain, and from the grating of ice -floes in the river and the splash of waves on -the bank. In a way it suggested the approach -of a heavy train—and a train coming -on at high speed.</p> - -<p>Lon’s arm shot out. His hand closed on -Sam’s arm.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[269]</span></p> - -<p>“Come on!” he shouted to Orkney. -“Hustle for all you’re wuth!”</p> - -<p>The boys were close behind him as he -crashed through the bushes, straight away -from the river. They ran as for their lives, -while the rumbling sound grew in volume. -They splashed through a pool, the water of -which came to their knees. They crossed a -little ridge, waded another small pond, gained -higher ground. Here were some trees of considerable -size, and Lon paused an instant as -if meditating taking shelter among them.</p> - -<p>The rumbling now had grown to a roar, in -which the other sounds of the storm were lost. -And whatever was causing it was drawing very -near the spot where the three stood. Lon -peered hard up the valley, then turned toward -the trees.</p> - -<p>“May be a climbin’ job!” he sang out. -“Look lively, both of you! What’s comin’ -is goin’ to be a-plenty, and it’s ’most here.”</p> - -<p>Sam, too, had been making swift observation, -and his eye had caught something which -had escaped Lon’s vision. A patch of light, -faint, glimmering, half hidden by intervening -branches—so much he made out. Then it<span class="pagenum">[270]</span> -was his turn to shout, “Come on—quick!” -He broke into a run, and with Tom and -Lon at his heels hurried toward the light, -which, feeble though it might be, was like a -friendly beacon.</p> - -<p>The rumbling roar was thunderous as they -burst into a clearing and made out the dim -mass of a building, from which the light -glimmered. Instinctively they dashed for the -door. Lon tore desperately at the boards -which barred it, but Tom and Sam turned to -the window. From the lips of each burst an -exclamation of amazement.</p> - -<p>By the light of the fire on the hearth they -made out two figures. They recognized the -missing pair. Both Varley and the Shark -appeared to have been dozing on the floor, -and just to have been awakened by the ominous -tumult without; for the one was starting -to his feet, and the other, on hands and -knees, was peering dazedly through his spectacles -at the window.</p> - -<p>But this was a time for swift action and -not for pause for inquiries. Lon, abandoning -the door, sprang to his companions. He -caught Sam, and swung him to the ledge of<span class="pagenum">[271]</span> -the window, which still luckily was open; -seized Tom and raised him to the same position -of comparative safety. Then as the boys -dropped to the floor of the room, he climbed -with all speed after them. Sam, turning, laid -hold on his arm, dragging him over the ledge, -just as the thunder seemed to be rolling all -about them, and just as a wave, palely crested -with white foam, went swirling down the -valley, crashing viciously on the foundations -of the old house and rising to the top of the -stout masonry.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[272]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE RISING FLOOD</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There was the briefest of exchanges of -greetings between the friends thus unexpectedly -reunited.</p> - -<p>“What on earth are you two doing here?” -Sam demanded. “Haven’t you any notion -of the worry you’ve made for everybody?”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Mind where you’re going!” the -Shark cautioned. “Hole in the floor. We -broke through. Rest of it’ll hold, I guess, -but I wouldn’t stamp hard.”</p> - -<p>Sam checked his advance in time. He -glanced curiously at the fractured boards, at -which the Shark pointed.</p> - -<p>“Fell through, did you? Well, it looks as -if you did. But I say! What did you crawl -in here for, anyway?”</p> - -<p>Before the Shark could answer, Lon spoke. -He had remained at the window, and was -studying as best he might the swift tide pouring -down the valley.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[273]</span></p> - -<p>“Boys, one o’ them dams up-river must ’a’ -gone out! That was the first wave of the -rush that ’most caught us. There’s a lot o’ -water still comin’ along, but ’tain’t quite’s -high as ’twas. And so, lookin’ at things by -and large, I guess it was mighty lucky that -we happened in jest as we did. If nothin’ -more gives way up above, we ain’t likely to -be any wuss off than we are now; and when -things get kind o’ drained off, as you might -say, we can toddle on. Meanwhile”—here -he turned and glanced at the fire—“meanwhile, -that heatin’ contraption looks amazin’ -good to me.”</p> - -<p>Varley threw on some more wood. Sam -and Orkney, and then Lon, gingerly skirted -the hole in the floor and took their places at -the edge of the hearth. Lon stripped off his -dripping rubber coat; Sam and Orkney followed -the example. The Shark watched these -proceedings with a certain grim approval, but -suddenly his brow clouded.</p> - -<p>“See here, you fellows! You were hunting -for us, as if you thought we were lost?”</p> - -<p>It was half question, half accusation. Sam -answered curtly:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[274]</span></p> - -<p>“We certainly thought you were.”</p> - -<p>“Huh!” The Shark’s tone was scornful.</p> - -<p>“If you had to wander off, why didn’t you -go back to the Grants’ house?”</p> - -<p>“Had something better to do.”</p> - -<p>“Here?”</p> - -<p>The Shark hesitated. “Why—why, not -exactly here. We were looking for something. -We found it. Then we happened to see this -house. It was raining pitchforks, and we decided -to come in out of the wet, and wait for -a break. And being here, we made ourselves -as comfortable as we could. You’d have done -the same thing, wouldn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“What did you suppose we’d think when -you didn’t turn up?”</p> - -<p>“You ought to have known we could take -care of ourselves.”</p> - -<p>Sam checked the hot retort that was on his -lips. After all, “Safety First” was a sound -rule in the case of words as well as acts. A -quarrel would benefit nobody.</p> - -<p>“Well, Shark,” he said quietly, “we feared -you might have met an accident of some sort, -and if you had, we wanted to help you.”</p> - -<p>“Course you would!” cried the Shark, at<span class="pagenum">[275]</span> -once mollified. “And we did have an accident—little -one, that is. Geeminy! if you’d -seen us go kerflop through the floor! Patch -of boards just rotted out, and we had the luck -to strike it.”</p> - -<p>Sam’s eyes ranged the room. “Old-timer, -this house,” he remarked.</p> - -<p>“It’s very old,” Varley put in. “We’ve -tried to look it over, but it was too dark to see -much. Still, we could make out that evidently -nobody has lived here for years.”</p> - -<p>Lon, too, had been making observations. -“Boys,” he said, “if I ain’t way off the track, -this is jest the plummest oldest house anywhere -in these parts. It’ll be the old Dominie -Pike place, or I’m a hornpout!”</p> - -<p>“The Dominie Pike place?” Orkney -echoed.</p> - -<p>“Yep. His house Mis’ Grant was tellin’ -us about—the last one he built.”</p> - -<p>Orkney moved away from the fire. Very -slowly he made a circuit of the room, inspecting -it with manifest interest, so far as the uncertain -light permitted.</p> - -<p>Sam went to the window. The rain was -still falling heavily; water surrounded the<span class="pagenum">[276]</span> -house, but the rapidity of the current appeared -to have lessened. As well as he could determine, -the top of the foundation was just -above water.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Lon was adding to the fire. He -caught the eye of Sam, as the latter turned -back from the window, and winked meaningly.</p> - -<p>“Nothin’ like makin’ yourself to hum,” he -remarked, “and that there blaze does go to the -right spot—no, to the right spots, by ginger! -for those clothes o’ mine must ’a’ been leakin’ -all over. My notion is, we’re mighty lucky -to be right here this minute. Tell you a -house comes in mighty handy when you need -one. By the way, Varley”—he paused briefly—“by -the way, I s’pose these boys told you -how once this crowd was amazin’ glad to put -up at old Calleck’s shack.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard something about it,” said Paul, -“but not the whole story.”</p> - -<p>Lon was grinning reminiscently. “Like this -case it was, some ways—other ways ’twa’n’t. -Blizzard caught us that time, and now it’s a -flood. Both times, though, we needed fire -and a roof—generally do in these parts, ’less -it may be for a month or so in summer. So<span class="pagenum">[277]</span> -old Calleck’s ruin seemed mighty good to us. -This house’s a reg’lar palace ’longside of it. -But what’d you expect? Old Calleck was a -queer coot, that went away from other folks to -build a place in the woods, while Dominie -Pike cleared his place in the woods to kind o’ -encourage other folks to come in and settle. -And some folks do say this must be jest the -spot where the Dominie and the Indian had -their big run-in. But then likely’s not you’ve -all heard that yarn.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t!”</p> - -<p>“Tell us!”</p> - -<p>“Fire ahead!”</p> - -<p>Lon grinned again. No doubt he was well -pleased to see his plan to draw the boys’ -thoughts from their plight bearing results.</p> - -<p>“Wal, way the story’s handed down’s -about like this: The Dominie was an explorer, -and he worked in here ahead of the settlers. -But for all he knew the ways of the woods, he -was plumb lost when he came to Sugar Valley. -And one reason he’d missed his bearin’s was -that for two-three days he’d been kinder bothered -by a notion somebody was doggin’ his -track. Funny part was, he couldn’t be sure—that<span class="pagenum">[278]</span> -is, he couldn’t get a squint at the critter -he sensed was after him. And, bein’ the -man he was, the Dominie didn’t let the huntin’ -go all on one side. He turned to and hunted -the hunter, which was what we’d call a sporty -proposition, but helped to mix him up. -Course, if he hadn’t been bothered, he could -’a’ found the road back; but bein’ a lot bothered, -he was as good as lost, for the time bein’. -And so one night he was bivouackin’ out -in the open, right along here, I guess; and -bunkin’ close to a big tree and keepin’ one eye -open and maybe both ears listenin’—well, after -a while, he was surer than ever that t’other -party was mighty clost. Now, the Dominie -wasn’t the citizen to make trouble walk its -legs off comin’ to meet him. He started for -the half-way point or better, with his old flintlock -primed and ready to do business. There -was a big moon, and when he came to a nat’ral -meadow, he could see ’most as plain as day. -And all of a sudden he did see something. -An Injun was stealin’, stealthy like, out of the -opposite edge of the woods. Just as the brave -cleared the cover, though, something else shot -like a growlin’ streak off the limb of a tree,<span class="pagenum">[279]</span> -and in a jiffy there was the pootiest Injun-panther -fight you ever heard of.</p> - -<p>“The Dominie’s gun jumped to his shoulder—that -was what you’d call instinctive, I -guess. Then he run forward. Way things -were, he didn’t feel like wastin’ powder and -ball—took time, remember, to charge up them -old shootin’ irons. Then something mighty -queer happened.</p> - -<p>“The big cat was chain lightnin’, but that -Injun wa’n’t so slow himself. He’d half -ducked the panther’s spring, though he’d -caught a clawin’ doin’ it; and the cat had -overshot, as you might say, and was crouchin’ -for a second spring when it sighted the Dominie. -For about a second it was a three-cornered -puzzle, with the Dominie with his gun -at his shoulder, and the Injun trainin’ his artillery -for action—yes, he had a gun, too—and -the panther switchin’ its tail and makin’ -up its mind whether it’d jump for the white -man or the red. And the brave’s gun was -a-swingin’ as if he wa’n’t quite clear whether -he’d better pot the brute or the white man. -Now seein’ these things, as the Dominie seen -’em, there’s some folks as ’d kept that Injun<span class="pagenum">[280]</span> -covered, anyhow, sayin’ as how the scrap was -his to begin with. But that wa’n’t Dominie -Pike’s way. Sot in his notions, the Dominie -was; and one of them was that he’d rather -shoot wild beasts than humans. So he put a -ball through that panther’s head, and took -his chances o’ the red brother collectin’ -his scalp. Which he didn’t—as this house, -which the Dominie built years afterward, -shows.”</p> - -<p>Lon paused, but there was a chorus of demands -that he go on with the story. What -did the Indian do? Why didn’t he attack -the Dominie?</p> - -<p>Lon chuckled softly, perhaps more at -thought of his success in holding the attention -of the boys away from their predicament -than at the continuation of the anecdote.</p> - -<p>“Wall, I wa’n’t there, so I can’t make no -affidavits. But the yarn goes that when that -Injun seen the panther drop, he laid down his -gun like a gentleman and a good sport. And -the Dominie laid down his—course, ’twa’n’t -loaded, but the move showed a friendly, give -and take spirit. And both of ’em took a step -forward, and looked each other over in the<span class="pagenum">[281]</span> -moonlight. Then they took another look, -and the Dominie said something. The Injun -said something back. His lingo was new to -the Dominie mostly, but some words he could -make out. And, after a long while, each got -kind of a line on the other. Each was lost—there’s -a funny part of it.”</p> - -<p>“But an Indian wouldn’t be lost in the -woods,” Sam objected.</p> - -<p>Lon shook his head. “Wrong there, Sam. -This Injun was lost. Course, if he hadn’t -been bothered, and if his grub held out, he’d -have worked his way back; but, as ’twas, he -was a stray from the country he knew. So -he and the Dominie, once makin’ friends, -could hit it out fine, both bein’ in the same -box. And they did hit it out. Dominie Pike -allers got along fust rate with the Injuns, anyhow. -But it was while he was connivin’ with -this special Injun that he got acquainted with -Sugar Valley and decided to move in and settle -permanent.”</p> - -<p>Tom Orkney spoke in the incisive fashion -he had. “That story in the Dominie’s diary, -Lon?”</p> - -<p>“Reckon so. Not that I ever saw the book,<span class="pagenum">[282]</span> -though—remember, don’t you, what Mis’ -Grant told us about its gettin’ lost?”</p> - -<p>“I remember,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>Lon put another stick on the fire. “How’s -the supply of fuel?” he inquired. “And -where might the wood-pile happen to be?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll show you,” cried Varley; and, eager -to bear his full part, began to lower himself -through the hole in the floor. There was the -sound of a loud splashing, and in an instant -Paul, drenched to the knees, was scrambling -back.</p> - -<p>“Cellar’s flooded!” he shouted excitedly. -“Water’s almost up to the floor beams!”</p> - -<p>“’Twould be, of course,” said Lon coolly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, we should have thought of that,” -Sam agreed. “Wait a minute, though, fellows.”</p> - -<p>Again he went to the window, and peered -out. The darkness was intense; the rain continued -to fall heavily. It was largely guesswork, -but his impression was that there had -been a slight rise in the water about the house -since his last observation.</p> - -<p>Sam turned to his companions. He was -quite aware of the need of keeping his head.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[283]</span></p> - -<p>“Things are no better,” he retorted, “but -we could hardly expect them to be.”</p> - -<p>“Not with this rain poundin’ down,” Lon -put in.</p> - -<p>“Still, they’re not much worse,” Sam -added.</p> - -<p>“And we’re safe and snug, with a roof over -us.”</p> - -<p>The Shark grunted. “Huh! It’s a leaking -roof. Look there!”</p> - -<p>He pointed to a dark patch of moisture on -one of the walls.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that?” Lon tried to speak lightly. -“Guess there may be a few of the old shingles -loose.”</p> - -<p>The Shark jerked a thumb over his shoulder. -“If you look in the corner, you’ll find a small -waterfall going. I’ve been hearing the splash -for a quarter of an hour. I don’t care a rap, -but I do like to have things stated accurately. -The roof must be like a sieve!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, what are the odds?” queried -Sam, as cheerily as he could.</p> - -<p>The Shark waved a hand. “I’m not kicking -on the facts, but on the errors of statement—that’s -all.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[284]</span></p> - -<p>“Well, state it to suit yourself,” said -Sam; but the Shark did not accept the invitation.</p> - -<p>There was a pause in the talk, and it was a -long pause. The drip, drip of more than one -little stream was audible, except when the -noises from without rose above all other -sounds. The fall of the rain was like a steady -drone; the wind was beginning to rise, and -now and then a squall whipped the branches -of an overhanging tree against the house; at -intervals could be heard the harsh grating of -ice against ice, as the floes went drifting by. -Twice or thrice floating masses struck the -house blows that made the old structure -tremble, and then ground along the side till -the flood carried them clear.</p> - -<p>Not a member of the party from Lon down -to the Shark but was considering their situation -and its dangers, each in his own way. -For all the conclusion was the same: there -was nothing for it but to remain where they -were. If the flood rose no higher, they would -not fare very badly. The house, ancient -though it might be, plainly was still a strong -structure, capable of withstanding much battering.<span class="pagenum">[285]</span> -Lon, who broke the silence, phrased the -opinion of the group:</p> - -<p>“When the old Dominie built, he built for -keeps—no jerry work for him, I tell you! -Big beams, heavy timbers—wood was the -cheapest thing outdoors in his times. And -wooden pegs to hold ’em together. Why, -boys, I’ve seen folks tryin’ to tear down an -old house like this one, and they pretty nigh -had to use dynamite to unjoint the frame. -Don’t believe that? Umph! They had to -use a yoke of oxen, then, if that’ll suit you -better.”</p> - -<p>“Either story suits us well enough,” said -Sam; and with that the talk languished.</p> - -<p>Now and then one or another went to the -window, peered out, came back, hovered over -the fire. It was dying down now, and the -stock of available fuel was running short. -But already there were warnings that it would -not be long before the fire would be put out in -another way.</p> - -<p>The water in the cellar had risen to the -level of the floor of the room. From the gap -where the Shark and Varley had broken -through, a pool was spreading toward the<span class="pagenum">[286]</span> -walls. Through the door, too, a stream was -trickling, a tiny stream at first, but steadily -growing in volume.</p> - -<p>There was no way to check the rising tide, -and the boys silently watched the water approach -the hearth. At last it reached the -glowing coals. There was a faint, hissing -sound. A little puff of steam rose, gleamed -white for an instant, faded away. A black -border of drenched ashes was slowly widening -and nearing the heart of the fire.</p> - -<p>Sam turned to the Shark. “There’s an -upper story; there’ll be stairs, of course. -Looked around any, have you?”</p> - -<p>The Shark nodded. “We looked. Yes, -there are stairs—we didn’t go up. Pretty -dark it was.”</p> - -<p>“It’ll be darker now, but we’ll have to try -’em,” said Sam quietly.</p> - -<p>Again the Shark nodded. “Figured it -would come to that. So I saved this.” He -pulled from within his jacket a piece of pine -board. “This was dry and I guess I’ve kept -it so. Lot of pitch in it, too. Ought to make -sort of a torch. Wait a minute!”</p> - -<p>Bending forward, he thrust an end of the<span class="pagenum">[287]</span> -piece of wood into the flame still burning at -the back of the hearth. There was a sputter, -a spark or two flew. Then a jet of smoke shot -out, and a yellow tongue curled about the end -of the pine board.</p> - -<p>Protecting the precious flame with his -cupped hand, the Shark followed Sam -through the doorway, and into the hall of -the old house, wading through water ankle -deep as they went. After them filed the -others, Lon bringing up the rear.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[288]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The hallway of the ancient structure was -curiously small in contrast with the big room -the boys had just left. It was, indeed, little -more than a box of an entry, with a winding -stair in one corner, a plan of construction -made necessary, no doubt, by the huge -chimney in the middle of the house. In -making the most of limited space, however, -the designer had produced a crowded effect, -even when the hall was bare of fittings, as it -now was.</p> - -<p>With the draft created by the fire and the -open window, the air in the room the boys -had just left had freshened considerably; but -the hall was full of a stale and musty odor. -The torch burned feebly. Once it seemed to -be on the point of being extinguished, but the -Shark by careful nursing saved the flame.</p> - -<p>Sam laid hand on the old-fashioned rail of -the stairway.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[289]</span></p> - -<p>“One at a time,” he said. “If there are -any weak spots, we don’t want to tumble -through them in a crowd. Safety First!”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing—Varley and I got enough of -the other scheme!” quoth the Shark. “Go -ahead, Sam!”</p> - -<p>A bit gingerly Sam began the ascent of the -flight. The old boards creaked and groaned -under his weight, but there was no indication -of serious weakness in them or their supports.</p> - -<p>The flickering light from the torch left the -top of the stairs in deep shadow. The explorer -inferred rather than was certain that -the upper hall was merely a landing by which -one could reach the rooms on either side. -Still holding the rail, he called out to the -others to follow, one by one.</p> - -<p>Orkney gave Varley a push, and thus -settled the order of precedence; for the Shark -elected to be No. 3, keeping the light in the -midst of the party. Then Lon shoved Orkney -ahead, much as Tom had encouraged Paul, -and made himself the rear-guard. The stairs -groaned and creaked more dolefully than -ever, but held firm.</p> - -<p>Sam, meanwhile, had edged across the landing<span class="pagenum">[290]</span> -and into one of the rooms, the door of -which stood open. It happened to be directly -above the apartment they had first entered, -and, so far as he could make out, corresponded -with it in size, though it was still lower of -ceiling. A gleam from the smoking pine -stick showed that, like the room below, it had -a fireplace.</p> - -<p>While the air was a trifle better than on -the lower floor, Sam lost no time in getting -at a window; and when the sash stuck, he -promptly smashed a couple of the small panes. -Incidentally, he made note that the rain was -falling steadily.</p> - -<p>In this upper chamber the proofs of the -leaks in the roof were numerous. Little -streams were running down all four of the -walls, against one of which, where probably -the beams sagged, a pool a yard or more -across had formed. Other parts of the floor, -however, were still dry. Very few of the -furnishings had been left in the room. The -tall headboard of an old-fashioned bedstead -leaned against a wall, and near the hearth -was a heavy settle, too bulky, probably, to -have made it worth while to go to the trouble<span class="pagenum">[291]</span> -of removing it. It furnished a seat for Lon -and Orkney, while Varley and the Shark -joined Sam in the inspection of their refuge. -This completed, the three joined the two before -the fireplace. The Shark stuck his brand -in a crevice between two bricks; watched its -none too vigorous flame for a moment; stepped -forward and extinguished it.</p> - -<p>“Guess we’ll economize on the illumination,” -he said. “When this is gone, I don’t -know where the next’ll come from. And -who’s afraid of the dark, anyway?”</p> - -<p>Nobody made reply to this query. There -was a pause; then Sam asked, a little sharply, -if the Shark were sure his supply of matches -was protected from the dampness. In turn, -the question led to a reckoning of the stock -of all the party. Orkney had a metal pocket-case, -well filled; Lon had a score of matches -loose in a waistcoat pocket; Sam himself -could contribute a dozen. In this respect, at -least, they were prepared for emergencies. -Sam heard somebody’s sigh of relief in the -darkness, and sympathized with it.</p> - -<p>Truth to tell, the adventurers were now in -the midst of one of their most trying experiences.<span class="pagenum">[292]</span> -The gloom of the room; the inaction; -the forced waiting—all these things tested -grit. For the time being, they seemed to be -safe enough, but nobody could tell what the -conditions might be an hour hence. The -flood continued to rise about the old house. -Sam’s observations from the window were -confirmed by Orkney, who felt his way down -the stairs, but only to return with word that -the water was encountered half-way down the -flight.</p> - -<p>Again Sam felt the responsibility which -falls to a leader. He whispered a word in -Lon’s ear; and Lon, good fellow that he was, -did his best to cheer his companions. He -racked his memory for tales of Dominie Pike -and his exploits, and embroidered the traditions -with his own inventions, perhaps, for -quaint tales they were which he told of the -pioneer days in Sugar Valley. Sam noted -that Tom Orkney was especially interested. -Varley, too, put an occasional question; but -there was nothing to indicate that the Shark -was at all attentive.</p> - -<p>Sam, presently, crept to the Shark’s side. -Lon was in the midst of a yarn, and was<span class="pagenum">[293]</span> -talking loudly; there was small danger that -a whispered conversation would be overheard.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Shark!” Sam spoke very softly.</p> - -<p>“Eh? What?” The Shark’s response was -in like tone.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been wondering—say! ought to be -some limit to this sort of thing—rise of the -river, I mean. What’s your notion?”</p> - -<p>“Pure conjecture!” Low as the reply was, -it had a shade of testiness.</p> - -<p>“I know—but what’s your conjecture? -Your line, you know—figuring—all that.”</p> - -<p>The Shark considered briefly. “Well, I’ll -tell you, Sam. Something’s happened.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t need to tell me that!” growled -Sam.</p> - -<p>“You don’t understand. I mean, something’s -happened more than a common spring -freshet. The rain and the melting snow filled -the river, as I saw, and as you must have seen, -too. But ordinarily the river takes care of -the most of the water—the Grants spoke as if -there’d been little trouble in other years. -This time, though—well, you know how -much snow there was, and how quickly it -goes under a rain like this. And Mr. Grant<span class="pagenum">[294]</span> -said they’d been having the storm up-stream -a good while before it hit us. One of the -dams must have gone out—that’d account -for the tidal wave—if you can call it that—which -came rushing down the valley.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Sam. “It’s reasonable.”</p> - -<p>“Of course it is—I’m telling you,” said the -Shark simply. “Listen now, though! If -nothing else had happened, once the crest of -the wave had passed, we’d have seen the -water begin to go down. Why? Because the -natural drainage would be taking care of it. -Pour a pitcher of water into a set-bowl, when -the plug isn’t in the outlet, and after a few -seconds you’ll see the level lowering. Drop -the plug in place, and the bowl stays full. -And I tell you, Sam, Sugar Valley is a lot -like a big bowl.”</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - -<p>The Shark disregarded the interruption. -“Hold on! Let me finish. There’s a plausible -explanation of our fix. Our big bowl is -plugged, and if it is, the plug is an ice jam. -Remember how narrow the gorge is at the -foot of the valley? Remember how the -bridge piers clutter it up? Well, then!<span class="pagenum">[295]</span> -Plain as the nose on your face! River carries -down a lot of big chunks. They pile -up against the bridges and wedge together. -Then along comes a lot of logs and floating -riffraff to fill in the cracks. That’s how you -get your dam that’ll turn the valley into a -big pond. The water can’t run off, so it stays -here and keeps rising and rising.”</p> - -<p>“But how much longer can it keep on -rising?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t say. Lack data. As I recall that -map, though, I don’t believe we’ve seen high -water mark yet—not by a long shot!”</p> - -<p>“But the dam—if there is one——?”</p> - -<p>“Well, they mostly use dynamite to blow -up ice jams. So I guess it’s a question of how -soon somebody gets to this one with a cartridge.”</p> - -<p>Sam groaned. The Shark put out a hand -in the darkness and caught his arm.</p> - -<p>“Nobody’s fault, this fix. Couldn’t get to -high ground after that wave came along. -Doubt if we could have made it before that—lot -of low places in between. Nobody to -blame. Sensible thing to stay here. That’s -the whole story.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[296]</span></p> - -<p>“I hope so,” said Sam very soberly. He -shook off the hand, and moved to the window. -Dark as the night was, he could not escape -conviction that the water was still climbing -higher and higher.</p> - -<p>Lon brought his story to a close, and there -was silence in the room. It made all the -more marked the noises without, the beat of -the rain, the swirl of the flood against the -house. There were other sounds, too, weird -and mysterious, some faint and far off; others -near at hand and still more disturbing. As -for the house itself, it seemed to be straining -like a ship in a storm, while it hardly needed -a lively fancy to find in its shaking a hint of -the trembling of a vessel’s hull under the -pounding of big waves. Yet it was evident -that the stout old building was withstanding -the flood better than many a more modern -and more lightly constructed house could -have hoped to withstand it. Nevertheless, -there was mighty complaint of beam and upright, -which was not cheering to hear. Sam, -listening and watchful, was a bit encouraged. -The house might shake from roof to foundation, -but it seemed to be coming to no harm.<span class="pagenum">[297]</span> -The huge chimney, doubtless, was like a brace -to the entire structure.</p> - -<p>Even if the house stood, though, there remained -another question to be answered: How -long would the flood continue to rise?</p> - -<p>The Shark plainly feared that they were -still far from the greatest peril from this -source. Sam had to own that the fear might -be justified. The suggestion of an ice jam and -ice dam at the foot of the valley could not be -verified, of course, but it was possible to gauge -the steady rise of the water. Sam made the -stairs a practical register. From time to time -he ventured down them, and regularly found -the invading flood a little higher than before.</p> - -<p>The hours wore away slowly. At intervals -some one or another of the refugees announced -the time, striking a match ostensibly in order -to glance at his watch, but taking remarkable -care to save the tiny flame as long as possible. -Everybody craved light. Lack of it was, in -fact, the hardest part of the ordeal. Warmth, -too, would have been welcome, but the night -was not cold and the need of a fire was felt -less acutely than the dispiriting effect of the -dense darkness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[298]</span></p> - -<p>Talk was intermittent. Now and again -somebody would rouse to interest in some -aspect of their situation, and perhaps stir his -neighbors to join in a discussion, and Lon -told a dozen stories; but there were half-hours -when nobody spoke. Sam, with his sense of -responsibility strong upon him, studied his -companions. The Shark caused him little -concern. Silent meditation was quite in keeping -with the habits of the mathematical youth, -and Sam had no reason to doubt his nerve in -case of grave emergency.</p> - -<p>Varley was more puzzling. Unquestionably -the city boy was under a greater strain -than his comrades, because of the entire novelty -of his surroundings. The others knew -more or less about abandoned farmhouses, but -such a place as the Dominie Pike homestead -was wholly strange to Paul. Seemingly, he -was of good courage, and his conduct won -Sam’s approving respect.</p> - -<p>Oddly enough, Tom Orkney presented another -problem. Tom ordinarily was a reticent, -self-contained fellow; but this night he -took a leading share in the talk. He appeared -to be intensely interested in everything<span class="pagenum">[299]</span> -he could learn about the old Dominie, and -plied Lon with queries. Finally, he borrowed -the Shark’s stump of pine wood, lighted it, -and began a careful examination of the room. -This finished, he restored the torch to its -owner and guardian, who promptly extinguished -the flame and stowed the precious -remnant in an inside pocket of his jacket.</p> - -<p>“Well, found out anything?” Sam asked, -as Tom dropped beside him.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know—I’m not certain,” Orkney -answered slowly. “Somehow, though, I think -I’ve got a line or two. I believe this room -was the Dominie’s own—his study, maybe.”</p> - -<p>“What! An up-stairs study?”</p> - -<p>“Sounds unreasonable, I’ll admit, considering -the plain living of the old days. But -there’s a fireplace, and it looks as if there was -a sort of closet on each side of the chimney, -or hiding place—I don’t know exactly what -to call it. What makes me think so? Well, -I can’t be sure, but I suspect there’s wood -fitted in among the bricks and made to look -just like them. Anyway, that’s the feel of it!”</p> - -<p>“The feel?” Sam asked skeptically.</p> - -<p>“Try it yourself. Come along—I’ll show<span class="pagenum">[300]</span> -you,” said Orkney, and got upon his feet. -Sam, too, rose.</p> - -<p>Orkney made his way back to the chimney, -Sam following. There, under Tom’s direction, -he groped about the brickwork, without -arriving at any clear conclusion.</p> - -<p>“If I could see anything, it would be different,” -he remarked. “But this thing—say, -my fingers are numb, anyway! I can’t feel -anything but clammy dampness. But what’s -the idea you’re working on?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know—sort of a notion—a -hunch, maybe.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a hunch?</p> - -<p>“It—it’s pretty vague,” Orkney confessed.</p> - -<p>Sam, not deeply impressed but willing -enough that Orkney should find even such -diversion, moved back to the window. From -sounds which proceeded, presently, from the -direction of the chimney he inferred that Tom -had taken out his knife and was scratching -away at the old mortar. After a little, however, -he lost consciousness of this activity, -and, indeed, of a good deal more; for he fell -into an uneasy doze.</p> - -<p>Subsequently on comparing notes, the boys<span class="pagenum">[301]</span> -had to admit, one and all, that in spite of -their perils they caught some sleep in the -course of the night. Probably all of them -slept longer than they realized. Sam, at any -rate, must have passed from doze to sound -slumber; for when he was awakened by a -tremendous crash there was a second or two -in which he did not realize where he was or -how he came to be there. The old house was -still trembling violently from the concussion, -as well as from a series of minor blows, as the -object which had collided with it was carried -along, grinding and pounding against the side -of the building.</p> - -<p>In the room there was something closely -akin to panic for a moment. Varley shouted -wildly for help. Lon was scrambling to the -window. Sam heard Orkney cry out, and -caught distinctly the Shark’s shrill whistle, -and close-following comment:</p> - -<p>“Whew! There’s bulk, with momentum, -for you! Say, what was it?”</p> - -<p>Sam found himself peering over Lon’s -shoulder. Certainly there was a slight lessening -of the darkness. He could make out -dimly a black mass drifting by.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[302]</span></p> - -<p>“Great Scott! but that must be one o’ them -big barges from the brick yards!” Lon -groaned. “Use ’em to freight the bricks -down to the railroad, they do. But the yards -are up above the big dam. If that’s one o’ -their boats, it means that dam has gone out -as well as the little fellow we’ve been figgerin’ -on. Jeewhillikens! but this is a reg’lar granddaddy -of a flood! Must be, for they haul the -barges out winters, and the one that hit us -must ’a’ been well up the bank. And look -how the water’s riz, anyhow!”</p> - -<p>Sam looked; that is, he gazed as at a dark -curtain, and saw a pale glimmer just discernible -at what he estimated to be but a few -inches below the level of the upper floor. As -he was continuing his observations, Orkney -plucked at his sleeve.</p> - -<p>“That jolt pretty nearly got to us, Sam. -I’ve been scouting out in the hall. I couldn’t -see much, but it looks as if the whole corner -had been torn out of the room on the other -side. And the house—what’s left of it, I -mean, is askew. Floor of the hall’s tilted -like a hillside.”</p> - -<p>Sam made reconnaissance for himself, and<span class="pagenum">[303]</span> -found that Tom had by no means exaggerated -the conditions. He returned to the room, to -discover that Orkney was again scratching at -the chimney. From the neighborhood of the -window Lon spoke:</p> - -<p>“Boys, I dunno but we’ll have to move -along pooty soon—water sure is climbin’ and -climbin’. So as I hate to take a jump in the -dark, as you might say, I guess I’ll go scoutin’ -for some road that leads higher, too. Jest you -wait here, and I’ll let you know what I find out.”</p> - -<p>In a moment more they could hear him in -the hall; but several minutes passed before he -called out to the Shark to bring him what -was left of the torch. The Shark obeyed; -and, presently, there was a creak of rusty -hinges, and Lon called out cheerily:</p> - -<p>“It’s all right! Attic stairs jest about -where I cal’lated they ought to be. That’s -enough of the light, son. Put it out and save -the pieces till we need ’em again.”</p> - -<p>Then back came Lon and his torch-bearer -to join Sam and Varley and Orkney in the -nerve-testing task of waiting for the steadily -rising flood to drive them from their refuge.</p> - -<p>How long they waited none of them knew.<span class="pagenum">[304]</span> -To Sam it seemed to be hours and hours before -a chance movement of his was marked -by the splash of his foot in water. Through -the open door a tidy little stream was pouring -into the room from the hall.</p> - -<p>Now the old house was creaking and groaning, -and without were all the noises of the -storm, but not one of the party missed that -splash or misunderstood its meaning.</p> - -<p>“Heh! Time to go, ain’t it?” Lon tried -to speak lightly, but his tone betrayed his excitement.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s time,” Sam said; his voice, too, -was shaking.</p> - -<p>“All right! Light up, Shark,” Lon directed. -“You and me’ll go ahead, seein’ as -how we know the way. Rest o’ you keep -clost to us.”</p> - -<p>The Shark’s torch was but an inch or two -of blackened, resinous pine, and its flame was -no greater than that of a toy candle. Still, it -enabled Sam to observe Orkney digging away -at the bricks of the chimney with furious -haste.</p> - -<p>“Drop that, Tom, and come along,” he -called.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[305]</span></p> - -<p>Orkney gave no heed to the summons. Instead, -he worked more desperately than ever.</p> - -<p>“Give me time! I—I’m getting there!” -he declared.</p> - -<p>The Shark was moving toward the door. -The faint beams of his torch quite failed to -reach the spot where Orkney stood. Sam had -no notion of what Tom might be about, but -he had strongly developed opinions on the -unwisdom of tarrying. He strode across the -room, grasped Orkney’s shoulder. The other -resisted briefly. In a vague way Sam conjectured -that he was groping about the chimney. -Also he remembered, afterward, that Orkney -uttered a queer little exclamation, which -seemed to betoken satisfaction, then ceased -his resistance.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” Sam urged, and Orkney -came. Possibly Sam felt rather than saw that -Tom was thrusting something into the protection -of his closely buttoned coat; but what -was of far greater immediate importance was -the depth of the invading water, through -which they had to wade. It was ankle-deep -in the half-wrecked hall; it was over the -lower step of the steep and narrow stair leading<span class="pagenum">[306]</span> -to the attic, up which Lon and Varley already -had passed.</p> - -<p>The Shark, standing at the foot of the flight -and cherishing his feeble beacon, growled his -opinion of those who delayed.</p> - -<p>“What you fellows dillydallying for? -Think I’m a government lighthouse that’s -bound to keep going, anyway? This thing’s -nothing but one coal, and it’s getting to me—ouch! -I can’t keep on holding it till daylight!”</p> - -<p>Sam and Orkney, thus exhorted, quickened -their pace. But as they did so, Lon raised a -shout, in which was a ring of jubilation:</p> - -<p>“Hullo, everybody! Speakin’ o’ daylight, -I can see something that’s mighty good for -my sore eyes. What is it, eh? Well, it’s -where there used to be roof, and where there -ain’t any roof left now. But in place of it -is jest the cheerfulest patch o’ mighty nigh -washed out dawn that ever showed over to the -east’ard. It’s mornin’, boys, or ’twill be in a -few shakes of a lamb’s tail. Oh, well, see for -yourselves then, if you ain’t willin’ to believe -me.”</p> - -<p>The Shark dropped his torch—it went out<span class="pagenum">[307]</span> -with a hiss in the pool at his feet—and raced -up the stair. Orkney and Sam dashed after -him.</p> - -<p>What Lon had told them was true. An end -of the roof was missing—carried away, perhaps, -by the barge. And there the sky showed -gray and dull, yet with the early dawn upon it.</p> - -<p>No doubt the attic was even more cheerless, -otherwise, than the room they had just quitted, -but that patch of light made amends for everything. -What if the drenching rain had poured -through the break until the place were half-afloat? -What if here the tumult of the storm -and of the flood were louder and more menacing -than ever? The darkness had been the -direst of their troubles, and now it was about -to be ended.</p> - -<p>The missing segment of roof extended close -to the floor at one end. Sam had no trouble -in looking out. And he it was who made a -discovery, at which he raised a cry as jubilant -as Lon’s had been but a moment before.</p> - -<p>Under the gray sky the flooded river spread -like a black lake all about them. But close -at hand, drifting directly toward the house, -was that which he longed most to see.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[308]</span></p> - -<p>“A boat! A boat!”</p> - -<p>His call brought his companions to his side. -Eagerly they gazed, and joined in a chorus of -hails to the navigators. There were two of -these. Each had been sitting huddled on a -thwart; each roused to activity at sound of -human voices, and, catching up a piece of -board, fell to paddling wildly.</p> - -<p>The Shark needed spectacles to improve his -vision, yet it fell to his lot to be first to recognize -the boatmen.</p> - -<p>“Jupiter Crickets! Poke and Step!” he -gasped; and in his tone was more bewilderment -than delight.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[309]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">WHAT BEFELL POKE AND STEP</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>It will be recalled that in the division of -forces for the search Herman Boyd and the -Trojan were detailed to follow the road down -the valley, making inquiries at each house -and seeking news of the missing Shark and -Varley.</p> - -<p>This duty they performed conscientiously, -but wholly without result.</p> - -<p>Nobody had seen or heard anything of the -pair. From each house which was provided -with a telephone the boys made report to Mrs. -Grant and learned from her that seemingly -the other hunters were having no better fortune. -More than once they were advised to -give up their task and accept shelter and refreshment; -but they declined the invitations -and resumed their march. What is more, they -did not restrict themselves to inquiries of the -residents, but now and then made a detour -toward the river. It was to be observed, as<span class="pagenum">[310]</span> -they neared the foot of the valley, that the -lowlands were flooded in many places. The -boys agreed that their prospects of success were -not bright, but neither was willing to turn -back.</p> - -<p>“We’ll keep on as far as the bridges, anyway,” -the Trojan said. “Sam’d expect us to -do that much.”</p> - -<p>Herman nodded. “He’d keep on, if he -were here.”</p> - -<p>“Sure he would!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, old Sam’s a sticker.”</p> - -<p>“Then we’ll be stickers, too: we won’t fail -him.”</p> - -<p>This decided, they continued their tramp. -And while they went splashing and sloshing -along the road, which was by no means a poor -imitation of a canal in places, Step and Poke, -heading in the opposite direction, were having -a very similar experience.</p> - -<p>The tall youth and his plump chum were -quite as much in earnest as were Herman and -the Trojan, but temperamentally were not so -well fitted to carry out a commander’s orders -implicitly. Besides, under the depressing -weather conditions, Poke could hardly avoid<span class="pagenum">[311]</span> -meditation upon the sorrows of his own lot. -With rain driving in his face and snow water -at times a quarter-way up the legs of his rubber -boots, it is scarcely to be wondered that he -tended to the pessimistic view. To tell the -truth, Poke liked the comfortable things of -life, and turned regretfully from the warm -kitchens of the farmhouses at which he halted -to ask the question, to which there was regularly -the same answer. Nobody had seen a -smallish boy in glasses and a larger boy who -didn’t wear glasses.</p> - -<p>Trudging on, doggedly and faithfully, Poke -relapsed into a dull silence, which at last attracted -the attention of Step. The latter was -not unmindful of his friend’s mood; in fact, -he tried to show his sympathy. Ordinarily, -the two got on famously, but now Step contrived -to strike a jarring note.</p> - -<p>“Oh, buck up, Poke; buck up!” he urged. -“Luck’ll have to turn. You ought to be able -to see that.”</p> - -<p>Now, this was meant in all kindness, but -it did not fall pleasingly on Poke’s ear. -Doubtless the fault was his own, not Step’s.</p> - -<p>“Huh! Talk’s cheap!” he growled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[312]</span></p> - -<p>Step flushed wrathfully. “Oh, well, if you -don’t want to see, you don’t have to, you -chump!”</p> - -<p>“Huh! Chump, am I? Well, if I had a -periscope-pole neck like yours I could see a -lot of funny things, too.”</p> - -<p>This was personal insult, so intended and so -received. Step pulled up short.</p> - -<p>“Periscope neck, eh? Well, I’d rather have -one like that than be a human flat-iron!”</p> - -<p>Poke halted, too. He glared up at Step as -savagely as Step was glaring down at him. -Together they presented a quaint scene of -wrath, standing there in slush to their ankles -and with the rain running down their long -coats in little streams. The humor of the -situation escaped Poke, but he was quick -witted enough to take advantage of the circumstance -that Step had been first to pause. -He cut short his own delay, and took as long -a stride as his short legs permitted.</p> - -<p>“That’s right—be a quitter!” he said over -his shoulder. “Anything to get out of hunting -for Varley and the Shark, of course!”</p> - -<p>Step was beside him in an instant. “Quitter, -eh?” he snarled. “We’ll see who’ll be<span class="pagenum">[313]</span> -first to lay down his playthings in this -game!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then you haven’t really laid them -down, eh?” said Poke with crafty sweetness. -“Isn’t it too bad it looked so much like -that?”</p> - -<p>Step merely gritted his teeth in reply, and -set a pace which put Poke into a dog-trot to -keep abreast of him.</p> - -<p>It was, of course, the most trivial of quarrels, -but like some other trifles in life fated to -have consequences out of all ratio to its real -importance. It made both boys determined -to go on with the hunt without much regard -for reason. Also it brought it about that -when in the growing darkness the flood came -sweeping down the valley in a fine wave, Poke -and Step were still marching along, each more -intent upon wearing out the other than upon -keeping keen watch for danger.</p> - -<p>Luckily, the roar of the approaching water -gave even these preoccupied youths some warning. -Luckily, too, though the road they were -then traveling was close to the river, they -were near a tiny hillock on which stood a -shed such as farmers sometimes build in remote<span class="pagenum">[314]</span> -fields to protect stock or tools. Poke -and Step dashed for its shelter, and were well -above the wave as it went raging down the -valley. However, it left them on what was -now an island, safe for the time being, but -cut off from the shore by a hundred yards or -more of deeply inundated swale.</p> - -<p>Poke clutched Step, and Step clung to Poke, -their bickering forgotten and peace restored. -In a moment they were as thoroughly comradely -as Herman and the Trojan, who three -or four miles down the valley watched, or, -more accurately, heard the sweep of the wave -down the stream. Chance had put the Trojan -and his companion, at the time on the hillside, -well above the flood level. In the faint light -they could make out little except that the -stream, of a sudden, was over its banks; but -while they were pausing, uncertain what to -do, Mr. Grant’s hired man drove up. He -could give them no information except that -he had been instructed to carry on the inquiry -for the Shark and Varley at the gorge at the -mouth of the valley. They held a short consultation, -agreeing that the man should go on -as far as he could, the road at this point being<span class="pagenum">[315]</span> -well above high water mark, while the boys -turned back. By keeping to the hillside they -would be able to regain the Grant place, and -on the way they could continue the search for -traces of the missing pair.</p> - -<p>For Poke and Step, however, no such solution -of their problem was possible. They -were effectually marooned. Neither felt -tempted to venture to swim to the shore. -They put their heads together, debated briefly, -and agreed that there was nothing to do but -to make the best of the situation.</p> - -<p>The roof of the shed leaked abominably, -but at one end they found a comparatively -dry spot, and here, too, they made a discovery. -Against the wall lay a boat, bottom up, evidently -in storage for the winter. It was a -home-made affair; a punt, broad, flat-bottomed, -square-ended; built of heavy planks -and generally so clumsy and weighty that -they were unable to move it, though they put -all their strength into the effort.</p> - -<p>“No use!” groaned Step, and now it was -Poke who took the rôle of comforter.</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t see any oars, so it doesn’t -matter very much.... What’s that?<span class="pagenum">[316]</span> -Don’t want to stay here all night, you say? -Well, I don’t want to, either; but I’m not -going to worry about it. Maybe something -will turn up.”</p> - -<p>Step dismally pointed a number of very -good reasons for doubting that anything could -turn up to their advantage; but Poke declined -to lose heart.</p> - -<p>“I know, I know!” he said. “Luck’s -against us just now—guess I’m a regular -Jonah, anyway. But it’ll have to turn—say! -I’m not sure but it has turned.”</p> - -<p>“How?” Step demanded skeptically.</p> - -<p>Poke waved a hand at the dark flood. -“Suppose that had caught us. This is no picnic, -you’re thinking? I tell you it’s a party -compared with being out in that mess. Goodness -knows, I’ve got troubles enough in life, -but I’m not quite ready to be drowned yet!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m not, either,” Step admitted. -“Only—only I do wish it’d stay light a little -longer.”</p> - -<p>“With you there!” cried Poke earnestly.</p> - -<p>The gloom, in fact, was for the chums—as -for the larger party in the old house—the -most insistent of the night’s discomforts. It<span class="pagenum">[317]</span> -was worse than the pelting rain, from which, -indeed, they had found shelter of a sort; it -was worse than the chill of the air which -increased as the night advanced, for they -could huddle together for warmth. It even -seemed to offer more menacing perils than -the steadily rising flood, whose approach to -the summit of the hillock it concealed. How -Step and Poke endured the dragging hours -can better be imagined than described. They -had their alarms—many of them. Mysterious -sounds came from the bosom of the flood; an -owl hooted sepulchrally; occasionally a squall -swept by, whistling shrilly about the shed. -There were long intervals, though, in which -they heard only the monotonous beat of the -rain and a sound very like a heavy murmur -from the river; and at such times weariness -took its toll, and both boys slept, fitfully, -brokenly and restlessly.</p> - -<p>Rather oddly, neither of them suspected -the manner in which the waters were creeping -toward their refuge. Neither had the -mathematical bent of the Shark to work out -a theory of a valley like a plugged bowl; and -so, while they were perfectly aware of the discomforts<span class="pagenum">[318]</span> -of their situation and while they -were full of anxiety as to the fate of their -friends, the discovery, at last, that the still -rising river was invading the shed came with -surprise as well as consternation.</p> - -<p>They turned again to the boat, and made -desperate efforts to drag it out; but in this -they were hampered and handicapped by the -darkness. They did succeed in turning it on -its side, but there it stuck, in spite of all their -efforts.</p> - -<p>Now came a new cause of alarm. Some -shift in the current began to swerve drifting -objects toward their island. A score or more -of big logs, freed by the breaking of some -boom up-stream, came like a fleet of rams to -batter the walls of the rickety structure. By -this time the water was more than knee deep -on the highest part of the earth floor of the -shed, and Poke and Step were perched in -insecurity on a pile of old boxes in a corner. -The only alleviating feature of their situation -was a lessening of the darkness with the coming -of the dull dawn; but it was still a faint -twilight which was all about them when the -end of the shed came.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[319]</span></p> - -<p>Another lot of logs, traveling with even -more momentum than the first flotilla, seemed -to charge upon them. One tore a great hole -in the shed wall; a second ripped away an -end. Then a huge timber lodged against an -upright of the framework, and with the full -force of the flood behind it, turned like a -beam of a great derrick, carrying away what -was left of the roof, tearing out the wall as if -it had been made of paper, and completing the -ruin of the shed. The pile of boxes was tossed -aside, and Poke and Step were pitched into -the water.</p> - -<p>The big log, though, served them a good -turn as well as a bad one. Their asylum was -gone, but the boat had been set afloat by the -blow, and, what was still better, was floating -right side up. Half full of water as it was, it -was a very ark of safety to the boys, who -climbed aboard just as the current seized it -and carried it free of the wreckage.</p> - -<p>For a moment or two the voyagers were -content to sit still and regain breath. Then, -pluckily, they set about improving the opportunity -for escape which Fortune had thrown -in their way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[320]</span></p> - -<p>There were no oars aboard, but Step tore -a broken thwart from its fastenings. One -piece of the board he gave to Poke and -another he himself put over the side. Both -boys fell to paddling frantically—but to -small avail. The punt was heavy, clumsy, -water-logged. The paddles were the poorest -of excuses. It was all they could do to -swing the blunt bow of the boat toward the -dimly visible shore; and after ten minutes’ -hard, but vain, endeavor the chums ceased -their labors.</p> - -<p>Their plight now was distressful, though -possibly having less of peril than had threatened -them on their temporary island. Their -ark, if unmanageable, kept afloat, and was -stout enough to be in no great danger from -collision with other flotsam borne along by -the current. They were in water half-way to -their knees, but even if the boat filled, its -wooden bulk promised sufficient buoyancy to -support them.</p> - -<p>“Sooner or later <a id="BRef_320" href="#Ref_320">we’ll have to drift ashore—somewhere</a>,” -Poke remarked philosophically. -“Kind of like the stone you chuck in -the air—‘What goes up must come down,’<span class="pagenum">[321]</span> -you know. And this isn’t the ocean—we’ll -make land after a while.”</p> - -<div id="Ref_320" class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i329.jpg" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center">“<a href="#BRef_320">WE’LL HAVE TO DRIFT ASHORE SOMEWHERE</a>”</p></div> -</div> - -<p>“Huh! Don’t make out any now!” -croaked Step.</p> - -<p>Poke made deliberate survey. The light -was still dim; low lying, gray clouds seemed -to merge in thin mists, through which only -vaguely could the shore be discerned. The -rain had decreased somewhat, but it was like a -veil in hiding distant objects. There were, to -be sure, other objects near at hand, which -under happier conditions the voyagers must -have found interesting. Keeping pace with -the boat, and not fifty feet away, drifted an -overturned wagon. Trailing this came a -pagoda-like summer-house, at the head of a -fleet of chicken coops, boxes and barrels. -Farther still from the boat floated the roof of -a barn. All about them the boys saw planks, -logs, a section of wooden fence, limbs torn -from trees, doors, odds and ends of furniture; -anything, in fact, which the flood could bear -along. A squirrel, perched on a log, chattered -at them; a cat, crouched on a big packing-case, -mewed piteously. Beyond the case they -could see the body of a cow, still held by a<span class="pagenum">[322]</span> -halter to the shed in which she had been -drowned, and which now was sweeping down -the stream.</p> - -<p>Except for the current there was more suggestion -of lake than river; though the trees -protruding above the water added a weird -touch to the picture, which differed markedly -from that of any lake either boy ever had -seen. Even the philosophy of Poke was not -proof against the effects of such evidences of -destruction. He huddled himself lower, and -his voice shook.</p> - -<p>“I—I—say, this is pretty fierce, Step! -Things must have been awful for the folks up -above.”</p> - -<p>“They’re awful enough for the folks here!” -groaned Step.</p> - -<p>Then there was a long pause. The light -strengthened, but slowly, very slowly. Neither -of the boys took pains to maintain a -vigilant lookout; and so it happened that -they were sighted from the old house before -they were aware of the attic still protruding -above the flood.</p> - -<p>Roused to action by the shouts of Sam and -his comrades, they caught up their extemporized<span class="pagenum">[323]</span> -paddles and fell to work as for dear -life. Had the boat not been drifting almost -directly toward the house, however, it is much -to be doubted if they could have brought it -alongside. As things were, they accomplished -the feat, the side of the punt crunching -against the roof just where Sam and his -friends were gathered.</p> - -<p>Then a curious complication arose. It was -eloquent testimony to the slight confidence or -liking either party had for its quarter; for as -the boys in the house tried to scramble into -the boat, Poke and Step leaped wildly for -the break in the roof. In consequence, Poke -and the Shark collided, and pitched together -to the floor of the attic, while Step and Orkney, -clinging to each other, reeled against Lon -with such force as to drive him back from the -opening.</p> - -<p>Sam and Varley chanced to be a little to -one side. This kept them free of the unintentional -mêlée, but, at the same time, put -them farther from the boat, which, helped, no -doubt, by the impetus of Poke and Step’s -leaps, edged away from the house.</p> - -<p>It would be hard to say which was the<span class="pagenum">[324]</span> -quicker to grasp the danger of losing the boat. -Both sprang forward; both tried to grasp the -gunwale—and both failed by inches.</p> - -<p>Then Varley did a thing which may have -been rash, but the daring of which was not to -be denied. Like a flash he whipped off his -greatcoat; vaulted the wreck of wall; plunged -into the flood; caught the side of the boat. -Sam, no laggard in such an emergency, leaned -out and seized Varley by the leg. In an instant -his call for Lon brought help. The big -punt was heavy; the current was beginning -to lay hold upon it again. For a little it -seemed to be impossible that Varley should -be able to retain his grasp on the rail or that -Lon and Sam should be able to haul in their -human cable; then, inch by inch, they began -to gain. The boat was dragged within reach. -Orkney and the Shark, by this time clear of -Step and Poke, held it fast, while Sam hauled -Varley out of the water.</p> - -<p>“Get aboard—quick—everybody!” Sam -cried, and helped Varley to obey the order. -Then he turned and caught Step’s shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Pile in! Hustle Poke, too! It’s our only -chance!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[325]</span></p> - -<p>Step resisted. “Wait a minute, Sam! There -are no oars. You can’t do anything. You -can’t——”</p> - -<p>Sam half pitched the objector into the punt. -Poke, taking the hint, followed, unassisted.</p> - -<p>Lon ripped up a narrow floor-board.</p> - -<p>“Here’s oars in the makin’,” he shouted. -“All aboard—everybody that’s goin’!”</p> - -<p>There was no need of further exhortation. -In thirty seconds more the Safety First Club -was afloat, and the boat was again beginning -to drift away from the old house.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[326]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">THE PRIZE SNATCHED FROM THE FLOOD</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Lon’s floor-board gave material for three -rough-and-ready paddles, short, awkward to -handle, yet more or less serviceable. Lon -himself kept one, Orkney took another, and -Varley laid claim to the third.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got to keep my blood circulating,” -he explained. “Thought I was pretty well -dampened before that last go, but now—whew! -Say, I’d like to be run through a clothes -wringer just as I stand. Next best thing’ll -be working at something.”</p> - -<p>Sam also had stretched out a hand for -the third paddle, but Lon ruled in favor of -Paul.</p> - -<p>“Varley, you can have anything I’ve got!” -he said warmly. “That leap-for-life, floatin’ -trapeze stunt you done was amazin’ good medicine -for this crowd; for my notion is, the old<span class="pagenum">[327]</span> -river ain’t got done risin’, and it ain’t got to -do much more comin’ up in the world to clean -swamp that garret. Good, quick action o’ -yourn, son, good quick action, I tell you!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” said Paul modestly. -“It—well, it just seemed to be a good idea. -I—I hated, somehow, to lose the boat; though -maybe the flood won’t go much higher.”</p> - -<p>“No; Lon’s right.” It was the Shark who -spoke, with all his customary brusqueness. -“Liable to be ten feet more of a rise. How -do I know? How do you know anything? -Figure it out, don’t you? Just what I did! -If the mouth of the valley is dammed—must -be, or the river would have behaved better—the -water’ll keep on rising till it’s over the top -of the dam. And from the levels as the map -gave ’em, and the height of the bridge piers, -as I recalled ’em——”</p> - -<p>Sam caught him by the shoulder. “Look -here, Shark! Do you mean you’d figured all -that out, and then didn’t tell us?”</p> - -<p>The Shark wriggled free. “Huh! What’d -have been the good of telling? Just would -have worried you fellows some more—wouldn’t -have helped anything or anybody. You’re all<span class="pagenum">[328]</span> -right in your way, but you don’t seem to be -able to get any comfort out of calculations -that go into three or more figures. So if I’d -said anything, you’d have wanted to know -why I said it, and when I tried to explain, -you wouldn’t have understood. But if you’re -so set on having me say something now, I’ll -tell you that we’d better make shore. Current’s -taking us down-stream, and I won’t -guarantee how long the ice dam will hold. -Don’t want to go over it, or through it, do -you? Well then!”</p> - -<p>“Jumpin’ Jupiter, but that’s sense!” ejaculated -Lon, and fell to paddling.</p> - -<p>Orkney and Varley followed the example. -Step and Poke found the pieces of the broken -thwart and added their mite. The Shark -stared ahead. Sam, for a moment, was without -occupation, but then he pulled off his cap -and began to bail out some of the water in the -boat. With the increased number of passengers -a leak or two had developed.</p> - -<p>There is no craft more difficult to manage -than a flat-bottomed, square-ended punt, deep -in the water, and in the grasp of a strong current. -Naturally enough, the attempt was<span class="pagenum">[329]</span> -made to steer for the nearer bank, the one on -which was the Grant farmhouse. It resulted -in a sort of diagonal drift, in which a dozen -feet were made down-stream for every foot of -approach to land. Sometimes the boat was -fairly across the current, sometimes her nose -pointed almost directly down the river. More -than once collision with floating débris threw -her off her course. In short, she might have -been compared to a crippled and bulky-bodied -beetle, struggling with broken legs to swim to -the shore of a stream into which it had fallen. -But as the beetle, by virtue of hard work, -draws nearer the land, so the big punt edged -away from the swifter current of mid-stream. -Presently she was scraping through the -boughs of a young grove, the trees of which -were submerged to their tops. The Shark, -playing lookout man, sang out his news:</p> - -<p>“Hullo! There’s the Grants’ house! We’re -just about abreast of it.”</p> - -<p>The paddlers toiled harder than ever, but -Sam paused a moment in his bailing. The -light had strengthened; he had no trouble in -making out the house and the big barns -near by. As well as he could determine, the<span class="pagenum">[330]</span> -flood had not invaded the homestead, though -it seemed to have reached the road in front of -the place.</p> - -<p>Lon and his crew tried to arrest the drift -down-stream; observing which, the Shark -spoke oracularly:</p> - -<p>“Don’t try too hard to hold her on the -mark! Keep her going, and see if we don’t -strike an eddy pretty soon. My guess is we -will.”</p> - -<p>Step had little breath to spare, but he used -some of it in speech.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” he gasped. “You ‘guess’? -Thought math-mathematicians never guessed, -but always were sure!”</p> - -<p>Round whipped the Shark, bristling. -“Mathematics nothing! This is just common -sense. I’m counting on the chances of -being right about an ice jam down below. If -it’s damming up the water, you’ll find some -of the surplus that can’t get through or over -the obstruction forced back along the edges, -while the freshet keeps on pouring more water -down the middle. Seen how the water whirligigs -in a bowl, haven’t you, when you turn -on the faucet? Well, then?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[331]</span></p> - -<p>Step might have made answer, but Poke -thumped him on the back.</p> - -<p>“Cut it out!” the plump youth advised. -“This is no debate; it’s a job!”</p> - -<p>Step grunted, and fell to paddling again. -The Shark shrugged his shoulders, and resumed -his observation; thought it was his -privilege, very speedily, to utter the words -the most self-restrained of mortals can’t deny -themselves sometimes:</p> - -<p>“There! What did I tell you? We’ve hit -an eddy!”</p> - -<p>It was true, and true beyond question. The -lateral motion of the boat was now up-stream -rather than down; and there was no longer -difficulty in keeping the house over her square -bow. Moreover, in the slack water the pace -of the heavy craft seemed to increase. And -again the Shark gave tidings:</p> - -<p>“Say, fellows, I can see folks! They’re -waiting for us—right by the edge of the road -just below the house. Mr. Grant’s there—and -there’s another man—and hurrah! Herman -and the Trojan! They’re both on deck, -so all our crowd’s accounted for! And oh, I -say! There’s Mrs. Grant hustling down from<span class="pagenum">[332]</span> -the house and waving a shawl or something -like all possessed!”</p> - -<p>With such good news ringing in the ears of -the crew, the big boat appeared fairly to jump -forward. There was a mighty splashing along -both sides, but what the paddlers lacked in art -they made up in energy. From the shore -came cries of welcome and eager query, but -everybody on the punt was too busy to make -reply. Then there was more splashing, as the -Trojan and Herman, with Mr. Grant close behind -them, dashed into the water to meet the -voyagers. They caught the gunwale of the -boat and dragged the craft forward till she -grounded. And then the Shark laid hold -upon Mr. Grant.</p> - -<p>“There is an ice jam, isn’t there?” he demanded. -“Big one, too?”</p> - -<p>“Biggest ever heard of in these parts! Both -bridges knocked off their piers and all tangled -up with the ice. That’s what raised hob when -the dams up-river began to go out, and let -down all the water. Railroad’s sent for its -wrecking crew, and it’s coming with dynamite -to blow open a channel, and——”</p> - -<p>The Shark was discourteous enough not to<span class="pagenum">[333]</span> -wait for the completion of the sentence. He -turned triumphantly to his comrades in -general and to Step in particular.</p> - -<p>“Hear that, did you? Josh me about -guessing, would you? Huh! I’ll guess -again, and the guess is that the fellow who -has the last laugh gets the best one. Huh!”</p> - -<p>With that the Shark stepped ashore, -avoided the outstretched arms of Mrs. Grant, -and fell prey to the Trojan, who splashed out -of the river as joyously as he had splashed -into it. The Trojan and Herman had had a -night of terrible anxiety, but had escaped any -adventures such as had befallen the rest of the -club. Maybe there was a touch of envy in -the demands upon the Shark for his story—which, -by the way, the Shark did not relate. -Indeed, there was for a little too much confusion -for anybody to offer a coherent narrative; -and then Mrs. Grant was urging the -party up the slope to the porch, and into the -house, where open fires burned cheerily, and -where there was a wonderfully delicious odor -of boiling coffee and cooking viands.</p> - -<p>The big house seemed to have an unlimited -store of dry garments. Mrs. Grant brought<span class="pagenum">[334]</span> -them by the armful into the living-room, and -made proclamation:</p> - -<p>“Listen to me, everybody! You men folks -can have this room to yourselves while -Hannah and I dish up the breakfast. It’ll -be ready for you the minute you’re all in dry -things; and I reckon you’ll find enough to -go around. Don’t mind looks or fit, and -don’t stop to primp. And here’s a lot of -good rough towels—you’ll need a rub-down to -take out the chill. Don’t you keep me waiting, -and I won’t keep you waiting, either!”</p> - -<p>She was turning to the door, but Sam -stopped her. As head of the Safety First -Club, he had learned some valuable lessons -in thoughtfulness for others.</p> - -<p>“Just a minute, please, Mrs. Grant!” he -begged. “Our folks in town—do they know -we’re all right, or have they heard anything -about—about our being out all night?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant shook her head vigorously. -“Not a syllable have they had, good or bad, -welcome or worrying! The telephone broke -down about eight o’clock last night, and I -tell you, boys, I never was so glad of such an -accident before. If any of your mothers had<span class="pagenum">[335]</span> -called me up—mercy, but I don’t know what -I could have said or done! There, there! -Let me count you again. Let’s see! Five, -six, seven, eight—yes, you’re all here, thank -the stars!”</p> - -<p>Lon heaved a burlesque sigh. “Oh, my, -my! And I ain’t even figgered in the census -no more!”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant laughed very cheerfully. “Oh, -you’ll figure, Lon Gates, but I sort of put you -in the ought-to-have-known-better class.”</p> - -<p>Lon bowed deeply. “Thanky for the compliment, -ma’am. I don’t get so many of ’em -that I recognize ’em any easier than old -man Plympton uster recognize his fust wife’s -third cousins when they came fishin’ for an -invitation to dinner, for old times’ sake, his -fourth bein’ a mighty fine cook, if I say it as -shouldn’t, she bein’ kin o’ mine.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if that’s what you call a compliment, -I guess you have got out of practice -entertaining ’em,” chuckled Mrs. Grant. -“But now get into dry clothes, every man -Jack of you!” And out she bustled, closing -the door behind her.</p> - -<p>For ten minutes the living-room resembled<span class="pagenum">[336]</span> -nothing so much as the locker room of an -athletic field. Crowding before the fire, the -boys ripped off their wet garments, plied the -big towels vigorously, and then, warm and -glowing, slipped into the emergency costumes -awaiting them. The results surely were -picturesque, but nobody minded trifles like a -shirt three sizes too big or trousers that came -only a little below knees.</p> - -<p>“Ready?” called Mrs. Grant from the -dining-room.</p> - -<p>Sam ran an eye over his company. Poke -wagged his head solemnly.</p> - -<p>“In all my life,” he said, “I never knew -before what being really ready for a square -meal was!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, ready!” Sam reported; though, as -he spoke, he saw that Tom Orkney, withdrawn -a little from the others, was standing -close to a window and inspecting something -he held in his hand. Still, as Tom had made -as full a toilette as anybody else, Sam saw no -reason to delay on his account.</p> - -<p>“Yes, ma’am, ready!” he repeated more -loudly.</p> - -<p>The door swung, and the boys trooped into<span class="pagenum">[337]</span> -the dining-room, Lon bearing them willing -company. But while they feasted their eyes -upon the well-spread table, their hostess was -again making a count.</p> - -<p>“Six, seven—sakes alive! but there ought -to be eight of you, not saying anything of Lon -Gates, who’s quite big enough to speak for himself. -And there’s only seven.” Mrs. Grant -was moving toward the door. “Now what -in the world——” she was looking into the -living-room. “Oh, there you are! Goodness -gracious, child, I should think you’d be -famished!”</p> - -<p>Orkney thrust what he had been examining -into an inner pocket of his coat. Then, blushing -and embarrassed, he came forward.</p> - -<p>“I—I must have been so interested in—in -something I found, I——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind it now, anyway! Sit right -down, and let’s see if you won’t find breakfast -interesting, too.”</p> - -<p>Tom took his place at the table; the others -already had taken their places. Hannah, -coffee-pot in hand, approached, and began to -fill the cups.</p> - -<p>Every face brightened as the savory odor<span class="pagenum">[338]</span> -of the steaming coffee filled the room. Poke -sighed, but it was a sigh of vast content.</p> - -<p>“My, my, but this is bully! Only I -wish——” there he broke off abruptly and a -bit sheepishly.</p> - -<p>“What are you wishing?” Mrs. Grant inquired -solicitously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it doesn’t matter, ma’am. I—I—it -was just a fancy.”</p> - -<p>“What kind of a fancy? Tell us, do!”</p> - -<p>Poke reddened; he moved uneasily in his -chair. “It—I guess it’s too foolish to talk -about.”</p> - -<p>“But sometimes I like to hear things that -may not be so foolish, after all.”</p> - -<p>The boy hesitated. Then, perceiving that -the whole hungry party waited on an end of -this interlude, he spoke, hastily and jerkily:</p> - -<p>“It’s a crazy notion, I know.... -Folks don’t do it at breakfast, I suppose. -But—but I couldn’t help remembering that -perfectly corking buster of a mince pie we had -yesterday, and wishing I’d come to it with the -razor appetite I’ve got this minute. It was -just a notion, you know, and——”</p> - -<p>There Mrs. Grant stopped him. “What<span class="pagenum">[339]</span> -did I tell you about foolish things that -weren’t foolish?... Hannah! Bring -it in—we’ll begin with it, instead of end with -it.... And hurry, please do!”</p> - -<p>Away sped the maid to the kitchen, and -Mrs. Grant again addressed her guests:</p> - -<p>“Some people poke fun at pie for breakfast, -but over in Sugar Valley we have a better use -for it—we eat it. And this morning I feel -like eating it with special thankfulness for it -and every other mercy and good thing in life. -You boys are all alive—I’m going to hear all -about how you happen to be alive, as soon as -we’ve attended to having last night’s supper, -and a go-to-bed snack, and this morning’s -breakfast, all at once. The flood has swept -the valley, and there has been a terrible lot -of damage, but so far as we can hear, nobody -has been drowned. And if we have to have -new bridges down below—well, that’ll be a -good thing, too; I’ve been mortal afraid of the -old covered bridge lately—it was so rickety. -So we’ll reckon up our mercies—— Right -here, Hannah; I’ll cut it myself.”</p> - -<p>A chorus of exclamations rose from the -boys. The maid had reappeared, bearing a<span class="pagenum">[340]</span> -pie as big, as magnificent, as nobly tinted as -the wonder of the day before.</p> - -<p>“Jeeminy! the twin!” cried Step, admiringly.</p> - -<p>“Right!” said Mrs. Grant briskly. “The -story goes, old Dominie Pike wished mightily -that he might have had two pies instead of -one, so we always make up a double allowance. -And now don’t wait for ceremony.” -She was beginning to cut the pie with sure -and deft wielding of her knife. “This time -we’ll begin with the boy who thought of -having pie for breakfast—yes, serve him first, -Hannah.”</p> - -<p>Hungrily Poke snatched up a fork. There -was something frankly famished in the admiring -gaze he fixed upon the contents of the -plate put before him.</p> - -<p>“Don’t wait!” Mrs. Grant counselled. -“We’ll dispense with ceremony.”</p> - -<p>Poke needed no urging. He was desperately -hungry; and, moreover, as has been -said, he was a mighty trencherman. Up rose -the fork, well freighted. An instant’s silence; -then one word:</p> - -<p>“Ah-h!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[341]</span></p> - -<p>If ever vast satisfaction were packed into a -syllable, it was in that brief exclamation. -Their hostess beamed; the boys burst into -laughter. Sam, before whom Hannah had -placed the second plate, caught Mrs. Grant’s -eye.</p> - -<p>“I—I think I used to be prejudiced about—about——” -he hesitated. “Somehow, -though, I think you understand what I -mean, ma’am. Maybe I didn’t appreciate—er—er—you -know!”</p> - -<p>“I know! But you’re not to bother your -head about that for a second. I was young -once myself, thank Heaven!”</p> - -<p>“Well, I appreciate it now,” said Sam -simply. “And I’m mighty glad I’ve learned -how to appreciate it. This whole business—from -first to last, with the flood thrown in—I—I -guess I know more than I did,” he concluded -with an effort.</p> - -<p>“I’m surely glad all of you know about -Sugar Valley and its legends,” Mrs. Grant put -in quickly, to cover his confusion. “I’ve told -you one story about Dominie Pike. There are -a lot of other stories.”</p> - -<p>Tom Orkney spoke from his end of the table.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[342]</span></p> - -<p>“I wonder if some of them are not here, -Mrs. Grant,” he said, and took from his pocket -a little book, stained, frayed, dog-eared at the -corners, lacking covers, and with some of the -outer pages sadly mutilated.</p> - -<p>From hand to hand it was passed to Mrs. -Grant. The boys could see that the pages -were filled with writing, small, closely lined, -in ink which had faded with the passage of -years.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant glanced curiously at the little -book. She turned the pages, her interest evidently -increasing as she proceeded.</p> - -<p>“Why—why, if this isn’t the real thing—the -original diary of Dominie Pike—but how -did you come by it?”</p> - -<p>“I found it in an old house we stayed in -till the flood drove us out.”</p> - -<p>The lady nodded. “Yes, that would fit—it -must have been the old Dominie’s house. -But this book, now! You know, I told you -I never saw the original, and never knew -anybody who had seen it, but this—well, it -certainly fits the description of the diary -that’s been handed down. And the penmanship -is just like the Dominie’s—there are some<span class="pagenum">[343]</span> -other specimens in old documents that have -been preserved—bills, receipts, agreements, -and so on. And as nearly as I can make out -what it says—yes, it reads as if it was genuine. -And I think it’s one of the first of the set the -Dominie is known to have kept. But you -found it, you say?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Tom. “It was in a niche, a -sort of hiding-place in the chimney above the -fireplace in an up-stairs room.”</p> - -<p>“I know the room you mean. They say it -was the Dominie’s study. He may have left -the book there, or maybe his son or grandson -did. But how in the world did you happen -to hunt it out?”</p> - -<p>Orkney hesitated. He was not a fellow of -ready speech, and he was embarrassed by the -attention he was attracting.</p> - -<p>“I—well, I can’t explain exactly except that -I had a—a hunch, you might call it—that, -somehow, the Dominie Pike story might be -more than a plain story. And when I heard -about the lost diary—well, it happened I remembered -it would be awfully good medicine -for this crowd if we could find it. There’s a -prize——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[344]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh!” said Poke sharply and suddenly.</p> - -<p>“There’s a prize we’d like to win for—for a -special reason——”</p> - -<p>“Bully old Orkney!” cried Step.</p> - -<p>Orkney raised a hand. “Better let me finish -the best way I can—I’m not much of a chap -at such things. Well, then, I couldn’t get the -Dominie’s diary out of my head. So when -we had nothing else to do in the old house, -I kept nosing around. In that up-stairs room -something made me suspect there might be -a hiding-place in the masonry of the chimney. -My grandfather’s house had a sort of safety-deposit -box built into its chimney, and I got -a hint from that. Of course, it was too dark -to see much, but by feeling along and then -digging with my knife—well, to make the -story short, I found that book just as we had -to beat it—go away, I mean. So I tucked the -book where it would be safe, and when we -were on shore, and there was a chance, I -looked it over. And—and you think it’s the -real thing, don’t you?” he added anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Certainly!” cried Mrs. Grant. “I haven’t -a doubt that it is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[345]</span></p> - -<p>“And you won’t mind our taking it for a -while?”</p> - -<p>“Mind? Bless me, child, it’s yours for the -finding, and welcome!”</p> - -<p>But Orkney shook his head. “No; it belongs -to you,” he said. “You’ll know what -to do with it permanently. We shouldn’t. A -week or two will be quite enough for our purposes.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Grant looked perplexed. “Well, -maybe you understand what you’re about. -I don’t, but that’s neither here nor there. -And if it suits you, surely it suits me, too.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you!” said Orkney very gravely.</p> - -<p>“Yes, thank you!” echoed the Safety First -Club with a fervent heartiness Mrs. Grant -perceived but quite failed to comprehend.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum">[346]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI<br /> -<span class="cheaderfont">POKE OUT OF BONDAGE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The result of the historical essay competition -was a foregone conclusion. Under the -conditions, by which facts counted for more -than form of expression, the production of the -Safety First Club, entered in Poke’s name, -took the hundred dollar prize, with never a -doubt in the minds of the judges. Tattered -and torn as was the diary of Dominie Pike, it -yet threw so much light upon debated questions -of early town history, and added so much -information to the local historians’ store of -knowledge, that the award was made with -very little delay.</p> - -<p>Poke, it must be said, rebelled at the last, but -the club promptly overruled his objections. -Step argued long and vigorously with his chum.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got to have money, and here is -money. Don’t be an idiot! What do you -want to do? Turn us down, and be sued or—or -something? Want your folks to know<span class="pagenum">[347]</span> -all about the mess, eh? Ugh! Thought you -didn’t. And here you’ve been growling about -luck being against you, and when it’s for you, -you’re all for jumping the fence to get away -from it. Say, you make me tired!”</p> - -<p>This was Step’s conclusion, and along with -the rest of his argument served to shake Poke -somewhat, and to send him to Sam, as a sort -of court of appeal. But Sam quite agreed with -Step.</p> - -<p>“Look here, Poke,” he said. “I know -how you feel; how you hate to take all of -what you think ought to be divided among -the gang. But it’s the thing for you to do. -That dinner of yours was really a club affair. -You gave it to even up a club account with -Varley. So the whole club is concerned in -getting you out of a scrape that resulted from -the dinner. Every one of us feels that way -about it—Orkney most of all. So trot along, -and pay the bill, and be happy.”</p> - -<p>Poke drew a long face. “Happy? With -just a shift of load? I’ll be out of debt to the -hotel man, and under debt to every one of -you fellows.”</p> - -<p>Sam laughed, and it wasn’t a feigned laugh,<span class="pagenum">[348]</span> -either. “Poke, you miss the combination! -There isn’t one of us who hasn’t had his full -share of help, one way or another, out of all -we went through.”</p> - -<p>“Umph! What did you get, for instance?” -Poke demanded.</p> - -<p>“I got a lot.”</p> - -<p>“A mince pie! You’re fooling me—or -trying to.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I got a mince pie,” said Sam calmly. -“And I’ll tell you this: I wouldn’t miss the -pointers I’ve picked up in getting it. I know -more about people, and er—er—about motives. -And I can see what a fool I made of myself -for a while. And I see, too, how what seem -like little things at the start can lead to big -things. Why, it’s like rolling a snowball -that gets bigger and bigger as you push it -along. It began with Varley breaking our -rules, and walking into the club. Then -came the runaway, with Varley mixed up in -it, and Mrs. Grant’s coming after us, and my -row with the club, and, finally, after Varley -had treated us and you’d treated him in return -and got in trouble doing it—why, it all had to -happen to lead us to Sugar Valley. And you<span class="pagenum">[349]</span> -wouldn’t have missed your experience there, -would you?”</p> - -<p>“Course I wouldn’t!” cried Poke indignantly.</p> - -<p>“Well, then! What more would you have? -Tom Orkney’s as pleased as Punch to have -found that old book, but it pleases him more -to be able to give you a lift. No, Poke, there’s -nothing for you to do but make a fair wind -of it, and sail down to the Rainbow Mountain -House, and settle up.”</p> - -<p>“You honestly mean that?”</p> - -<p>“Every word of it!” said Sam gravely.</p> - -<p>So Poke, with the prize money supplemented -by his own savings and the contributions -of the club, drove out to the hotel, and -paid his bill for breakage, and received a -formal receipt, and drove back, a deal relieved -in spirit, and full of projects to make money -enough to repay his friends.</p> - -<p>Paul Varley had not been invited to join in -the contribution. He had, naturally enough, -gained a pretty accurate idea of the story and -Poke’s plight, but when he hinted at a wish -to bear his share in the relief fund, Sam -rather tactfully discouraged him. Paul understood:<span class="pagenum">[350]</span> -it was a club affair, and he was not -of the club, though he was on the best of -terms with its members. He had proof of -their regard for him in a very friendly demonstration -in his honor.</p> - -<p>Rather unexpectedly, Paul was called back -to the city. It was a summons by telegraph, -and he had to obey it at once. He was surprised -and gratified, therefore, when he -reached the railroad station to find the Safety -First Club gathered in full force on the platform.</p> - -<p>Boys, on such occasions, do not make -smooth and felicitous farewell speeches.</p> - -<p>“Quitting us, eh? Sorry!” “Say, old -sport, you’ll be running up to see us some -time, of course.” “Paul, we’re going to miss -you—you’re all right.” “What you got on for -this summer? Don’t forget old Plainfield.”</p> - -<p>That was the sort of thing they told him, -and Paul made reply in kind. But he had a -moment apart with Sam, when he spoke more -freely.</p> - -<p>“Parker, I’m older than your crowd, but, -somehow, I’ve got a lot of good out of them. -I’ve tried to keep up my end——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum">[351]</span></p> - -<p>“But you have kept it up,” Sam cut in. -“Why, you’ve treated the lot of us over and -over again, and——”</p> - -<p>Varley interrupted him in turn. “I don’t -mean that way,” he said hastily. “I mean -in doing things, in taking the luck that came, -in standing punishment with the crowd. I -was what you might call soft, out of condition, -at the start; and a lot of your game was -new to me—the roughing it—the tramps over -the snow—the flood—all that sort of thing. -I didn’t want to show a yellow streak——”</p> - -<p>“Yellow streak nothing! A chap that’d -take the chance you took when you jumped for -that boat is true blue all the way through!”</p> - -<p>Varley cast a swift glance at the rest of the -club; he saw that they were out of ear-shot, -yet he lowered his voice:</p> - -<p>“Parker, you heard me squeal when that -crash came—when the big barge hit the old -house? Of course you heard me! Now, -honestly, that was just nerves, but I could -have bitten out my tongue a minute after I’d -yelled for help. But it wouldn’t have done -any good. You’d heard me; the crowd had -heard me. So I made up my mind that if<span class="pagenum">[352]</span> -the opportunity came to make good for that -break, I’d seize it. So when you and I -grabbed for the boat and missed it—why—why—well, -we just had to stop that boat from -drifting away. So I went after it. That’s the -story in a nutshell.”</p> - -<p>Sam, the undemonstrative, gripped Paul’s -hand.</p> - -<p>“It was the pluckiest and quickest witted -job I ever saw,” he declared. “And that’s -what every one of the fellows thinks, too.”</p> - -<p>Had Varley had doubts of this, they must -have been removed, as leaning from a car -window, he waved farewell to the Safety First -Club. For, of a sudden, the Shark, once his -bitterest critic, stepped forward, pulled off his -hat, and led in a cheer that gained in hearty -volume from beginning to end.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with Paul Varley? -He’s all right!” chanted the Shark.</p> - -<p>“Hurrah for Varley! Rah, rah, rah, rah, -rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, Varley!” chorused -the club with a will.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center">The Stories in this Series are:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<p class="displayinline pminus1">THE SAFETY FIRST CLUB<br /> -THE SAFETY FIRST CLUB AND THE FLOOD -</p></div> - -<hr class="tb x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 style="margin-top: 0em">Transcriber’s Notes:</h2> - -<p>Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are -mentioned.</p> - -<p>Punctuation has been made consistent.</p> - -<p>Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors -have been corrected.</p> - -<p>The following change was made:</p> - -<p id="BRef_153"><a href="#Ref_153">p. 153</a>: myself changed to himself (commit himself on)</p> -</div></div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SAFETY FIRST CLUB AND THE FLOOD ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. -</div> - -<div style='margin:0.83em 0; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE<br /> -<span style='font-size:smaller'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE<br /> -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</span> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when -you share it without charge with others. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: -</div> - -<blockquote> - <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most - other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions - whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms - of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online - at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you - are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws - of the country where you are located before using this eBook. - </div> -</blockquote> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format -other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain -Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -provided that: -</div> - -<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'> - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation.” - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ - works. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - </div> - - <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'> - • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. - </div> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right -of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate -</div> - -<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'> -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. -</div> - -</div> - -</body> -</html> |